The Fanboy
by BFTLandMWandSEK
Summary: My sister is the one who liked Hetalia- not me. So why was I stuck in a world where all these crazy sex-driven perverts claimed to be countries? Why is it that the one guy meant to help me on my stupid quest is an obnoxious idiot? Did I also forget to mention that I'm in a girl's body? With boobs? I hate my life. –Satire look on APH fandom-
1. That's Called Karma, Larry Sue

**MW: **Hello everyone again and welcome to the sequel I always talked about. So yes, this is a sequel, but new readers take note: **YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ THE ORIGINAL TO UNDERSTAND THIS FIC. IT IS, HOWEVER, RECOMMENDED, AS THERE ARE A FEW SPOILERS, BUT TFB IS AN STRONG, INDEPENDENT FANFICTION AND IT NEEDS NO PREQUEL.**

**BFTL: **Yeah, you punks better read this! Larry's in it!

**SEK: **Okay, she is acting more dumb than usual. What is going on?

**MW: **Ever since I first talked about using Larry as the main character (which was all the way back in April), Blue had been obsessed with his character. I think that now it's happening, she's going to be stranger than usual. Should be kill her again?

**SEK: **Hush. Anyways, a little bit more information. I'm Sisko, the proofreader of this story and MidnasWolf is the actual author.

Like its predecessor, this is satire and everything has a meaning (Everything in "The Fanseries" has a meaning). The OCs are kind of cheesy on purpose. We're commenting on the Hetalia fandom.

**Story Summary: **My sister is the one who liked Hetalia- not me. So why was I stuck in a world where all these crazy sex-driven perverts claimed to be countries and act like pirates? Why is it that the one guy meant to help me on my stupid quest is an obnoxious idiot? Did I also forget to mention that I'm in a girl's body? WITH BOOBS? I hate my life. –Satire look on APH fandom-

**Chapter Summary: **In which Larry makes one of the dumbest decisions known to Hetalian kind.

**Warnings: **Strong Language, Sexual Themes. Homophobia, Violence, and Blood.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia. I do, however, own my OCs and that is enough for me.

* * *

**~Chapter 1~**

**It's Called Karma, Larry Sue**

_"'You know Seychelles, with the strange things you've been doing lately... I sometimes think that it might be happening again.'"_

_-_**From "The Fangirl", American Fanfiction by BFTLandMWandSEK**

* * *

**Real World: Wednesday**

When living in the beautiful west coast of the United States of America, one learned pretty quickly that Mother Nature was eternally going through menopause. Yesterday was the standard summer temperature of ninety-something degrees Fahrenheit- girls in short shorts and guys shedding their shirts -the very definitions of the perfect American summer. The only thing missing was the hot, one night stand sex. Today, however, the dream land was ruin. Today, it was in the low eighties with rain.

I hate this place sometimes.

"It sure is raining hard out there," my twin brother, Jerry, said as he measured off the top of his metal measuring cup.

I shrugged, barely paying him any heed. "Sure is, bro." I always found that writing during a summer storm was the greatest thing in the world. Outside the window was dark as the warm rain would gently trickle down the panes. I had taken my laptop and sat it at the kitchen counter just so that I could look out the windows of the French doors leading to the backyard.

In the Sue household, summer storms had a certain routine. Jerry would bake cookies, I would write by the window, and my older sister Sherry would draw in her room. This was the standard of Sue living; you were not a Sue unless you went through this routine. It was engraved into our beings, right down to the hair follicles on our faces . . . mostly.

Like all Sues, all three of us had fiery orange hair and light blue eyes. The similarities pretty much ended there. Both Jerry and I had rather straight hair, though it varied in length- his short, mine licking the back of my neck. Both of us wore glasses, but the ones on my nose were smart and rectangular whereas Jerry's had a thick wad of white tape holding his frame together. Jerry did tell me the story behind it—something about some jerks and a Miley Cyrus CD, but I didn't listen. Anyways, the two of us were tall, though I out grew my brother by a fair inch or so. Whether or not that would change, I had no idea. We were only fifteen and hormones could still play to my brother's favor.

Sherry was not blessed with the same dashing looks as us. She took more after our father- her hair resembled a rat's nest and she used to have the worse time with pimples. But that was back when she was a kid. Sherry was seventeen, soon to be eighteen and ready to go off to college. Or, at least she should be if she only had enough boxes.

My fingers pounded harder on my keyboard. She just _had _to take everything she owns, didn't she? I swear that most of that stuff was just the anime crap she hoards under her bed. Stupid waste of- I realized that I had accidentally misspelled "because". I groaned, quickly back spacing to fix it. I thought she got over that crap two years ago when she suddenly took all of the posters off her walls and became a 'new woman'.

"_I guess not," _I mentally grumbled, hunching over my work. I didn't like where my story was going. It was supposed to be a scene where my hero, Harrison, is relaxing, but I couldn't seem to get the mood right. It was supposed to be calm and inviting, but the words that flowed from my fingers were loud and crumbling. "_I'm not thinking correctly," _I decided, saving and closing my document. My _Avatar: The Last Airbender _wallpaper appeared: a fan drawing of Sokka fighting with his black sword. "_I need to make myself calm-"_

"Ha, so you do like _Avatar_!" I slammed my laptop shut and turned to see Sherry right behind me. Her triumphant smirk was enough to make me want to barf.

"I don't like any of your anime crap, Sherry," I snapped evenly, glaring at her determinedly.

The older girl simply rolled her eyes and strolled right passed. Rude. "Why kind of cookies are you making, Jer?" She asked excitedly, looming at his shoulder like a curious child to her parent. And now she's ignoring me. "Are they chocolate chip?" Yes people, she is supposed to be going to college soon.

Jerry forced an unsure grin and shook his head. "Sorry Sherry, but we didn't have any chocolate, so I'm just making sugar," he said meekly. I huffed, reminding him to stop sounding like a sorry sap. Jerry looked down with a flushed face, forcing himself to concentrate on his work.

Sherry, meanwhile glared at me as if I was the bad guy. "Well wasn't Mom supposed to go to the store and get you some?" she asked. Her tone reminded me of a stuck up gossip girl, the kind that wear Daisy Dukes.

Not that I want my sister to wear those or anything. I mean . . .um . . . she's not skinny enough to wear them, okay? I said it, happy?

"She was until you had to tragically run out of boxes," I said as I opened my laptop again. As I quickly typed in my password, I added, "With the weather the way it is, she probably wouldn't be home for an hour or so."

I smirked. There, that will get her to keep her yapper shut. Seriously, how could I work on anything when she was just shooting off her stupidity every stinking moment? Ignoring the inspiring air of Sokka (seriously, I love that guy); I clicked on a particular video and turned the volume on mute. I didn't need it- I just had to look at her.

Windows Media Player rolled my highschool's latest drama club production: _Chicago_. Playing one of the leads was her: my best friend Stella Hoshi. The Asian (Japanese specifically) was the stepsister of Sherry's best friend Bella. Unlike her stepsibling, Stella was quiet and stoic. Whenever we hanged out, her lips never left the tight line they seemed petrified in. Her voice was always a strict monotone, showing the least amount of emotions possible. The only time she ever seemed to show any kind of feeling was when she was on stage.

I propped my elbow on the white counter and leaned in. The black video box showed her with a face that was filled with joy as she belted out the high note. I smiled softly. If only she could show more emotion like that every day. Yeah, she was supposed to be a gothic Asian girl with the black eyeliner and everything, but a small smile every now and then couldn't-

"Watching your girlfriend again?" I groaned and paused the movie. Instead of going back to her room like she should have, Sherry was seemingly helping Jerry with his cooking. As he measured and sifted the dry ingredients, Sherry separated the egg yolks from the egg whites. Poor chickens, dying because some teenagers wanted cookies.

Not that I anything against meat or anything. Are you kidding? I love meat. If I could, I would eat nothing but baby back ribs smothered in sweet honey barbeque sauce all day.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts of meat out of my head. Later, when I have a steak house menu in my hands. Right now, there were more important things. Like why was she helping Jer? This was strictly against the Sue routine. It was as if she was trying to make the universe crumble into tiny little pieces. This was worse than dividing by zero. Simmering with annoyed heat, I growled, "She's not my girlfriend."

She winked. "Right . . ."

I pushed my glasses further up my nose as I turned back towards her. "You know, I highly regret ever letting you watch _Fairy Odd Parents_," I remarked. "That show practically teaches kids sarcasm."

"Sarcasm is a valuable gift to humans everywhere."

Again, I rolled my eyes. "Says who?"

"Says God."

"Would you two please stop it?" Jerry asked, holding his knife up in the air.

Everything stopped.

True, it was the butter knife he always used to make sure that his measurements were perfectly accurate, but it's still _a freaking knife_! Just the sight of it made my blood run cold with fear. Already, I could feel the tingling of the blade against my weak skin. Instinctively, I pushed myself away from the counter; away from it. That, in turn, made my butt fall out of the stool and onto the hardwood floors.

The sound that left my mouth did not sound human.

The girl laughed. "Are you still afraid of knives?" she asked- taunted as she walked around to help me. "I thought that you grew out of that years ago." The laughter didn't leave her voice, even as she bent down and extended a hand towards me.

A mockful hand.

Growling, I slapped it away and picked myself off the floor. "Shut up! You would be the same way if your twin nearly cut your thumb off!"

Jerry squeaked. "I'm still sorry for that, Larry! I really hope that you-"

Sherry's first stuck themselves to her hips as she rolled her eyes again. With the amount she was doing that, I really hoped that they got stuck in an endless cycle of circles. Then she'll look even dumber than usual. "That gives you no right to scream like a pussy at a simple butter knife," she said haughtily, widening her stance.

When I thought about it, she really shouldn't be doing that. She was dressed in a jean skirt and an anime teen shirt (this one read "Hetalia: Axis Powers" with three blond guys on her breasts); she should not be spreading her legs like that. It made her look like a slut.

Trying to ignore both the dull ache of my bruised tailbone and my brotherly calling, I curled my upper lip, sneering, "Yeah, well at least I don't scream every time I go to bed."

Sherry's face fell and the kitchen settled into a tense silence. Even Jerry was giving me a surprised look, reminding me that the subject was forbidden.

About two years ago- after the day Sherry miraculously removed all of her Hetalia posters- she started getting very violent nightmares. For nights at a time, we would all wake up to the sound of her screaming in her sleep as she tossed and turned dangerously in her bed. It grew so bad that some nights, she didn't even bother going to sleep. I would go to bed with the light still on in her room and never see it turn off. Mom tried to get her to talk about it, but Sherry always told her not to worry over it.

Over time, they grew less frequent and I thought that they were gone for good. But last night, I woke to the sound of her screaming and Mom rushing into her room to wake her. "I'm such a terrible person," Sherry had sobbed, loud enough for me to hear from my room down the hall. "Please tell me that he wouldn't get me."

A part of me believed that she was raped or something, but Sherry complains about _everything_. If there was something remotely unfair or irritating, she would rant about it for hours. If some guy touched her the wrong way, she would have had the Swat team on his tail in an instant. Then again, by the haunted look in her eyes, I would say that whatever was causing the nightmares was pretty serious.

Sherry, Jerry, and I stood awkwardly, waiting for the other to react. Jerry was waiting to see if I would apologize, Sherry seemed a little out of it- as if experiencing a memory on repeat -and I was waiting to see if she would finally snap completely. I didn't feel any remorse for what I said; the girl deserved it. Besides, I was tired of her acting out a tragedy but never actually telling it to anyone.

At last, my sister released a long, tense sigh. Her eyes closed, as she said under her breath, "I know I promised you, Sadiq, but-" Eyes snapped open into a hard glare. "Larry, you are an ass." Without another word, Sherry turned on her heels and stormed back up the stairs to her room.

"Tell me something I don't know," I called back, climbing back onto my stool.

I watched as Jerry pressed his lips and did his best to intimidate me with his anger. For him, that was close to impossible. His face always turned into a bright pink shade and his lips always made an adorable pout. He looked more like a little girl than anything. "Why did you do that, Larry?" he demanded. "You don't know what it's like for her."

"Neither do you," I replied evenly, returning back to my computer. At this point, watching Stella was not going to help me. I wanted to groan. Looks as though the only way to get rid of my annoyance-turned-anger was to vent it. "She hasn't told anyone," I said, "Or have you forgotten?"

Jerry groaned, but it sounded weak. "If she's screaming, then it has to be serious." He suddenly noticed that I was barely paying him any heed. "Lar, what are you doing?"

Not even bothering to rip my eyes away, I replied, "Updating my hate blog."

"Your what?"

I mindlessly beckoned for him to join me at my side. He hesitated for a moment, but he eventually did with a flushed face and downcast eyes. Sounding very much like an informative businessman, I explained, "See here Jerry, on tumblr there are a variety of blogs that specialize in certain aspects of a fandom. Mine here, properly entitled 'Glory Fuck No Hetalia Dumb Shits', specializes in how stupid Hetalia fans are."

Jerry frowned. "You do realize that Sherry is still a fan of that."

I nodded. "Yes, I do, but she has nothing to do with this. Hetalia is insulting. What kind of person would want to watch a bunch of gay men who portray the countries in a completely insulting manner while having sex with each other?"

He took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He asked, "You do realize that that's not what it's about."

Was there a challenging tone in his voice? I raised a humored eyebrow. How very interesting. "And you would know this how?"

The twin suddenly realized his tone and looked down with embarrassment. He muttered a soft apology before saying in an equally low manner, "Well, I may have watched a few episodes."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not surprising. How many?"

"One or two seasons. It's not actually half bad."

The house phone started ringing, the shrill noise blending nicely with the soft pattering of the rain. Neither one of us made a move to answer it. "So you're telling me that you actually like watching gay porn?" I asked.

"It's not gay porn!" He snapped, or at least his weak version of one. "It's actually really funny and most of the characters are straight-"

"Most?" I rose from my seat and got right into his face. Our noses were touching, somehow causing his face to grow even redder. Seriously, this kid needs to get a backbone or get his blushing problem checked out. No one can blush so much and not have something wrong with their face.

Jerry twiddled his thumbs and he refused to make eye contact. "W-well Holy Rome loved Italy, but he thought he was a girl," he stuttered. "And Sweden is only gay for Finland-"

I grimaced. In a mocking manner, I tapped the tip of his nose, an action that sent the boy backing into the kitchen counter. "I find that very insulting for the Swedish," I said, barely noticing that the phone had stopped ringing. "Who would want to have their country be gay?"

"What's wrong with being gay?" Jerry _snapped. _I backed away, giving him enough space to escape. That wasn't his soft snap, that was a real I-am-just-about-ready-to-commit-first-degree-homicide snap. Whatever I said obviously hit a weak spot.

I opened my mouth, ready to demand what his problem was when-

"Shit! Larry! Jerry!" We both jumped and looked towards the stairs as Sherry came running back down. Her face was a pallid white, the kind people only get when they are terrified. In her clammy hands was the house phone. She was barely able to get her feet to stop by the counter. "When is Mom coming back?" she demanded, panicky.

I knitted my brows. "Sherry, what is-"

"Not for a while," Jerry dutifully reported. I frowned. Even he wasn't paying me any heed.

Sherry swore before panting, "Can you call-"

He shook his head. "She left her phone on her dresser," he said. "I found that out an hour ago."

I shook my head and took a step between them. "Sherry, what the heck is going on?" I demanded. "Did something happen to Dad?"

She hastily shook her head. Our dad, Gary Sue, was a traveling reporter. Last time we heard of him was a few weeks ago and he was in South Africa. Where he was now, not even Mom knew.

Sherry ran her hands over her face, taking a deep breath. "You know how we're supposed to watch Bella and Stella this week?" she asked. I nodded. Stella's mom and step, much to my disappointment, were lesbians. Ella (Bella's mom) and Nutella (Stella's mom. She was actually born in Japan and we can never pronounce her name, so we just call her that) were spending a romantic vacation in Hawaii and asked our mom, Mary Sue, to check in on them frequently, just in case Bella decided to throw a party or Stella ran off and joined a groupie of traveling thespians. "Well, Bel was driving Stella back from a rehearsal and their brakes gave out."

My mouth dropped as my blood ran cold. My muscles turned to stone and I had to lean into the cold counter for support. My brain was on haywire. How bad was it? Is Stella safe? Did anyone die? Did she die? But my mouth didn't want to work. The only thing I could do was sweat and pray that twin telepathy allowed Jerry to ask my questions for me.

Luckily, it did. "Oh my God," he breathed, holding his hands over his mouth. "Are they okay?"

Then, to my horror, Sherry shook her head. "They're both in the hospital now. We were listed on Bel's phone as an emergency contact, so the hospital staff called us."

My brain started working again. "We have to go now," I yelled, already making my way to the front door. Before I had even walked a few steps, Sherry grabbed my shoulder.

"No, you stay here," she ordered, sounding completely serious. Serious and calm. I blinked. How odd- I always figured that if she was caught in a situation like this, she would be the one freaking out. She was handling this better than I was. Why?

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Mom is the only legal adult around," she explained crossly. "And she has to know about this. If none of us are home, then she wouldn't ever."

Jerry took a step forward, raising his skinny arm into the air. "Actually, I volunteer to stay behind," he said, still looking flustered and anxious. "You and Lar can go-"

"Alright then!" I clapped my hands together and ran to the coat closet. "Let's get going Sher!" The elder girl stared at me, sighed, and followed suit. The kitchen morphed into the living room, which then turned into the foyer. I used to, and still always, think that the developers were just lazy and didn't want to separate the rooms with walls. Nope, one big floor plan would be just fine.

I pulled out my black rain coat and pulled it over my brown tee and plaid shorts. By the time Sherry had a jean jacket on; I had a pair of sneakers on my feet and yanked the front door open. Without another word- not so much as a simple goodbye- I took the car keys out of the bowl and ran to Sherry's car.

She was one of those people who drove an obnoxiously small, bright red buggie. To her redemption, she didn't have spots on it to make it look like a ladybug. No, she put a giant mustache sticker on the hood.

The warm rain had me drenched in seconds. I cursed and fiddled with the keys. I wanted to go back inside and grab an umbrella, but Stella needed me and I had to be there for her. By the time I was sitting shotgun, Sherry was running outside with the rain protection device I had forgotten. "Calm down, Larry," she ordered sternly, folding it shut. In a single moment, she slid into the car seat and slammed her door shut. "We'll get there soon."

"What if something happens and they need a blood transfusion?" I demanded, anxiously watching her stick her key into the ignition slowly. A little bit too slow for my taste. "We have to-"

"They'll be fine." At last, she put the car into gear and pulled out from the driveway. "They have to be." I looked at her, seeing the haunted look our talk about her screaming brought on earlier. Her hands- I noticed- gripped the steering wheel tighter. "He wouldn't be going after them."

Great, now she was speaking gibberish again. I asked, "Who's he?"

Sherry pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Nevermind."

In the end, the drive to the hospital took us longer than I would have wanted. The people of the West Coast were not good rain drivers, so call vehicles inched at a two miles per an hour pace. When we arrived, Sherry refused to drop me off at the front and even locked the doors so that I couldn't jump out. I had to wait for her to civilly park the car in the parking structure, take the elevator back to ground floor, then hide under her umbrella until we reached the emergency room.

I never liked hospitals. The one in my town had strictly white walls and slick marble floors. The air smelled pungently of cleaner and the morbid air made it hard to breathe. Just stepping inside made the hairs on my arms prick. Sherry held my hand and pretended that hers weren't shaking. She strongly led me past a waiting room filled with either crying or hollowed eyed people and to the receptionist like a little boy with his mother. "Is there a Bella Moon and a Stella Hoshi here?" she asked, holding her head like an adult.

The receptionist was a man, a rather young one with square glasses like mine, and dark hair. He looked like a total stuck up- fitting considering that his name tag read 'Erwin'. Sighing heavily, he started typing something into his large, white office computer. "Information like that is restricted to family members only," he practically huffed.

I felt the anger boil to my face. Who was he to say that I couldn't see Stella? I opened my mouth, prepared to spill a lie about being cousins when Sherry painfully elbowed me. I slammed a hand over my mouth and pounded a fist onto the plastic counter. Crap, for someone so curvy, she sure did have a pointy arm.

"We were contacted by the hospital staff since we were listed as emergency contacts," Sherry said, smiling. I stared at the visage. She was good at pretending that the passing doctors, pedestrians, and waiting room dwellers weren't giving us odd looks. I already could feel them tickling my back, making me conscious of everything. Even the wailing wife with bleeding mascara was staring at us. Great.

Erwin shook his head. "I apologize, but I cannot legally let you see them-"

"Sherry?" Standing a few feet away was Bella. For a second, I felt hope that things wouldn't be as bad as I feared. But then I realized that she was not the girl that I knew. The Bella I knew had neat blond hair, rosy cheeks, and a happy demeanor. This girl was a mess: her hair was sticking out at every odd and end, her whole face was pale, and her eyes read of horror. My eyes traveled up her figure, drinking every detail. She didn't look too bad, save for the white bandage on her forehead. Maybe Stella also walked away with so little.

"Oh my God, Bella." Sherry immediately forgot all about me and Erwin and ran to hug her. She embraced her quickly like she was checking to see if this was real. "What happened?" she frantically asked. The ginger pulled away and felt her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

Bella stared. I held my breath. Slowly, she shook her head. "The car just lost control," she whispered as she resisted a sob. "I couldn't stop the car and-"

"Where's Stella?" I demanded. My sister gave me a harsh look, but I did not care. Bella was released with only a few stitches so her sister has to be close by. Taking a step forward, I asked, "Is she alright?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "She's in surgery," she told me, voice barely rising over the sound of the rest of the hospital. I felt my white hope shatter, leaving me in a world of sheer black. "Something is hurt that shouldn't be. Sherry, I-"

Sherry turned her friend's focus back on her, giving her a firm look. "Bel, listen to me. This is not your fault." For a moment, I was able to concentrate on something other than Stella. For just a single moment, I realized how mature Sherry was acting. This was not the girl who mocked me in the kitchen; this was a girl who knew the situation and knew how to deal with it.

My mind, however, flipped back to Stella. She was in surgery, so it has to be severe. What if her heart gives out and she dies? When was the last time we hung out? What if the only way I'll ever be able to hear her voice again is through my videos of her productions? I leaned into the counter, feeling as though I couldn't breathe. This couldn't be the end, this couldn't be.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.

"You know, the doctor said that her chance for survival is slim." I jumped, completely forgetting that Erwin was still here. He was absently scribbling in a medical file, pretending to not know the weight of his words. "It's a shame. Were you two boyfriend-girlfriend or something?"

My throat felt tight and I did not want to speak. But there was something off, something different about this guy. Something really creepy and sadistic. Still, I somehow found the means to swallow and say, "No. We're just friends."

He shrugged. "But you still care for her?"

"More than anything in the world."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised at how quickly I replied. Even I thought that it was a little sudden, but when it came to Stella, the answers were always easy. Erwin took a deep breath and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "What if I told you that I could save her?"

"I would remind you that you are not a doctor."

The man chuckled. "That is true, but I am offering to help you in a different way. Tell me Mr. Sue, to what lengths will you go to save her?"

I glanced back at Sherry. She had Bella sitting in an empty chair next to a crying lady. Somehow, she found the patience to kneel at her friend's feet and quietly calm her. I felt my heart ache worsen. I leaned in closer to Erwin's desk, saying, "I would do anything in the world. What do you suggest?"

He smirked. "I'll do you a favor if you do me one." He took a small glass vial filled with black liquid from the corner of his desk and held it up to me. The dull fluorescent lighting made rainbows appear in the crystal design. "I know this guy. His name is Gilbert. I would like you to make Gilbert willingly drink this vile. In exchange, I will save Stella."

"That's impossible," I told him, rolling my eyes. "How the crap would you be able to save a girl at random? Plus, that thing is probably poison and I don't kill."

"Mr. Sue, there are some things in life that seem like mere works of mere fiction, but I am here to tell you that there are some truth to them." I felt my will weaken. A part of me that wrote fantasy stories agreed with him. Erwin continued, "I can save your love, but you have to allow me to. And to do that, you have to get Gilbert to drink this vial." The dark haired man handed me the container. I scowled, but didn't let go. "Stella's precious life is on the line and you are the only one who can save her." Closing my eyes, I squeezed it and held it to my chest. "So what will it be: her life or your stubbornness?"

There should have been a million of things going through my head at that moment. I should have had a million questions, but I instead only had one: "Is this a poison? Will it kill this 'Gilbert' guy?"

I felt Erwin give a triumphant smirk. "Not at all." I slowly opened my eyes to see him handing me a clipboard. "Just sign here and our deal will be sealed," he said, not bothering to hiding the victory in his voice. For one last time, I turned back to my sister. Maybe I should ask her about this- "It's now or never, Larry."

That was it.

Without thinking, I took the board from him and scribbled my name on the black line. I had an instant to realize what I just did before my head grew light and fuzzy. Gripping the vial tighter, I leaned into the counter for support. "W-what d-did . . . you-"

Erwin smiled and rose from his spot. "Sweet dreams, Larry. I'm sure we'll meet again." He was gone- walked away -before I could stop him.

I groaned. It felt as though there was something squeezing the sides of my head together. The corners of my eyes started to blur and my body yearned to go to sleep. I gripped the counter tighter. But if I were to faint here, I would just be causing more trouble. I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to move. Slowly, I dragged my feet over to an empty chair by Bella. I practically dropped into place, groaning again.

I barely noticed Sherry until she asked, "Is something wrong, Lar?"

"Just let me sleep," I slurred, closing my eyes.

And with that, I was out cold.

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 1**

When I opened my eyes, I thought nothing of the blue sky above me nor the cobblestone path below me. I didn't think about the sun beaming down on my face nor the vial still clutched in my hand. What I did think about was the new weight on my chest. I groaned, rubbing my forehead. Why did my chest hurt so much? What did Erwin do?

Stella . . .

My body snapped up like a triggered mousetrap. All around me were rows of slender brown buildings, crowded together along the narrow, winding streets. My heart raced. This wasn't the hospital! This looked like a deserted, sunny vacation place in Europe. How the hell did I get here? "_You need to calm down, Larry," _I ordered, wringing my soft hands together. "_If you- wait. Why are my hands soft?" _

I looked down at them, but only discovered a more distressing matter. _"Why the hell am I wearing a dress?" _I yelled in my thoughts, gaping at my pink skirt. My only response was the distant sound of gunfire. I frightfully jumped to my feet. Was that really a gun? No, people just don't walk around firing guns—unless you lived in South L.A. It must have been a car crash or something. I felt myself calm. See, if rational thinking is applied, then-

From one of the buildings ahead of me, two people jumped from the windows. One was a man, clad in a long brown coat. A pale pink scarf whipped around his large body as he swung a pipe to and fro. His opponent was a man with sandy blonde hair in a red coat. From the distance, he looked to also be wearing an eye patch, though it did nothing to hinder his ability with an old fashion gun.

I watched in amazement as they moved with fluid motions, trying to strike each other. I couldn't move. Why were they fighting? Were they the ones to fire the gun shot? Wait, no. Didn't I already decide that it was not a gun?

I jumped as more were fired off in the distance.

Okay, maybe it was.

A loud grunt sounded as the man in the red coat finally gained the upper hand and knocked his opponent to the ground. Not a second later, he had his pistol pressed to his forehead. Oh shit, he was going to kill him. I didn't even think; I turned around and ran for it. I barely made it a foot before my dress caused me to trip and fall. My thud echoed loudly around the mostly empty streets.

Moaning, I slowly peeled my face away. There were a few pebbles stuck to my cheeks, but I had little time to worry about it. "What are you doing here, lass?" A British voice demanded. I turned and saw Red Coat looking straight at me. I stared back at him. I didn't know him, but he didn't seem ready to shoot me. In fact, he seemed ready to abandon his spot and help me to my feet.

His captive, Brown Coat, had other plans. "Quick, comrades! She's right there!" He called out in a thick accent. "Get-" He was promptly kicked in the face, but it was enough. Already, I could hear the chorus of footsteps and shouts drawing closer to me.

The one in red curse. "They're coming," he said, checking the ammo of his gun. "Lass, do me a favor and run for it. Do your best not to let them capture you."

"But don't worry, they will," the other piped up. His creepy smile did not fade even when the man shot him in the leg. I gasped, placing a hand over my mouth. Even from my distance, I could see the crimson blood staining his pants leg. "I have the best on my team."

But I still didn't move. All I did was stare at the growing red spot. Oh my God, he was shot. He was freaking shot in the freaking leg and he wasn't even freaking crying. How can one freaking small wound cause so much freaking blood? Oh my-

"There you are!" I snapped back into attention and saw that two men- Brown Coat's comrades -had joined them. Both of them were tall, but one was white while the other was tan. They sported common clothes, though the Limeyboy had a scarf around his neck where as Mr. Tan wore a turban on his head. I did note, however, that Mr. Tan did have a sword.

My body went cold. Swords were just really big knives. Big, sharp, dangerous knives.

"Get the girl," I heard Brown Coat harshly demand over the sound of Red Coat slowly backing away. He was outnumbered and the only reason why they hadn't captured him already was his firearm. Through my fear, I realized that since I had no weapon, there was no reason for them not to take me.

I found it best to suck in my pride and run for it.

Lifting my skirts, I moved my legs as quickly as I could down the streets. The other men were close to chase after me, but I didn't dare to stop and check. The pain in my chest increased, but I ignored it and pushed on. Ignoring it could mean my life. But I couldn't run forever, I knew that. These narrow streets would eventually lead to a dead end or I would pass out from exhaustion. That only left one option: outsmart them.

The three of us were the only people around. In this strange place, it was as if we were the only human beings alive. I wanted to curse. Okay, so blending into a crowd wouldn't work. Huffing and puffing, I turned my eyes traveled to the alleys between the buildings. Heroes in books would often run into those and gain an upper hand. Actually, I think I made Harrison do that in the fifth chapter.

Taking a risk, I turned sharply into a small alley. It was barely big enough for me to walk in normally. My two persuaders ran past me before cursing and turning on their heels. I tried to ignore their incoming presence and ran further inside. There was my exit: a window. Doing a double check on them, I saw that both of their shoulders were too wide to squeeze through. Their solution was to walk sideways- slower, but effective. As Limeyboy and Mr. Tan grew closer, I opened the window and used the wall behind me to shimmy up and slide inside.

I landed on my hands, yelping at the curt pain. "Quick, we got to catch her," a man's voice exclaimed. I grinded my teeth together, quickly stood, and slammed the window shut. Thank goodness I did it then too because the speaker- Limeyboy -was about to start climbing in.

He swore and tried to lift it up from his side position, but I bore all my weight into it. The window would never budge. At last, he stopped and looked me straight in the eye. His were green, vivid with unspoken frustration. Closer, I could see his brown hair flicked upwards like a football jock with too much hair gel. His tight frown supported an unlit pipe. "Let us in, little girl," he demanded, also having a foreign accent. What was up with all these men and not being American? "We're going to catch you sooner or later."

I crinkled my nose. I was not a little girl! Was it the dress that was making this guy so stupid? "You are an idiot," I growled softly, so consumed with anger that I couldn't even think straight. If I had a clear head, maybe I would have realized the differences sooner. "What makes you think that I would be stupid enough to do that?"

He responded by punching his hand through the glass, showering me with glass.

I gave a shrill cry of surprise and immediately ran further inside the building. Actually, it was more like an abandoned house. I passed through a living room, a kitchen, and a few open bedrooms. The occasional family picture was hung on the wall, the men and woman formed by pastel. It looked so old that I expected there to be dust. But everything was in spiffy-spat shape and not a single speck of dust was to be seen. "_What was going on here?" _I wondered.

As I ran, I brushed away the shards of glass that sprinkled my skinny arms. That was weird, I'm rather muscular. Why was I so thin? I shook my head. "_No time for that, Larry," _I thought, hearing the men's shoes crush the broken glass. At the end of the dark hallway I ran through, there was a staircase. I sped up towards it. "_Your life's on the line right now."_

The stairs, instead of leading to a room, were topped by a trap door: An escape.

Wasting no time, I pushed it open. The deep blue sky and warm sun happily greeted me. Taking a relieved breath, I climbed out and slammed the door shut. I was on the roof, which seemed to be the storage place of whoever once lived here. There were numerous materials like wood and stones. Spying a wood pole, I grabbed it and slid it through the handles of the door. Then I piled a few stones on top for extra measure.

At last, I let myself catch some much needed rest. "_The people here are crazy," _I decided, lowering myself onto a ground. "_Why would they . . ." _That was when I saw them. In the distance, down south, there was the ocean. In the sunlight, it was a deep, pure blue, but it was disturbed by two large ships. I gulped.

Pirate ships.

"_I'm not an expert in sailing," _I reminded myself, feeling my chest act up again. "_For all I know, those are just some recreation ships for tourists." _The only problem with my logic was that the only 'tourist' nearby were small figures scattered on the empty streets. For the most part, they were fighting each other.

Flashes of Red and Brown Coat appeared in my head. "_This is a war," _I realized, feeling the weight on my shoulders. In wars, people die- I knew that. My dad sure did enough reporting on it for it to be engraved into my brain. I hugged my shoulders. Dad was always away in some foreign country writing about the latest disaster. He could stand it.

So can I.

I willed myself to stand and ignore the possible bloodshed. Alright, not I had to-

Mr. Tan and Limeyboy finally found the trapdoor. I could hear them yelling from below as they pounded their fist on the door. By the looks of it, it wasn't going to hold for much longer. Before I could lose myself to panic, I forcefully closed my eyes and thought of a solution. The quickest would be to get off this roof before they could break free.

This was where the narrow alleys once again served me. The next building over was close enough for me to jump to. I looked at him, feeling my heart race. Yeah, it was close enough, but I was still going to be jumping from a building. That in itself was enough to give me suicidal thoughts. But the pole finally snapped and the stones would give away at the next kick.

Pulling my skirt up (revealing the embarrassing fact that I was wearing white bloomers), I took a deep breath and ran for it. Over the edge I leaped, stretching my legs as far as I could. My feet landed with a shock, causing me to stumble a few feet. Somehow, I regained my balance and ran for the next trap door. I easily yanked it open and ran down the stairs.

Like the last one, this house was also dark and spotless. At first, I thought about finding the door and running back into the streets, but the gruesome images of dead World War II soldiers drifted into my head. Yeah . . . it would probably be best to stay inside.

I found a bedroom. It was lightly furnished with a bed, dresser, and a surprisingly clean mirror. This would do. I firmly closed the shut. I tried to be quiet about it, just in case my persuaders were nearby. Exhaling, I lowered myself onto the stripped homemade mattress. Where was I? This definitely wasn't America. I lowered my face into my hands. How the hell did I even get here? I fell asleep at the hospital, not a random war zone! I shifted in my spot, feeling something in my pocket.

Sighing, I reached into it and pulled out the vial Erwin gave me. I turned it in my hands, feeling the crystal design on my skin. His words rang clear in my head. _"Mr. Sue, there are some things in life that seem like mere works of fiction, but I am here to tell you that there are some truth to them."_

"Impossible," I muttered, slipping it back into my pocket. Then it occurred to me. My voice was really high, almost like a . . .

My heart jumped. Didn't Red Coat call me a "lass"? And Limeyboy a "little girl?" Oh no.

Trembling, I slowly brought my face up and looked into the mirror.

Staring back at me was not me.

I was a young girl- probably fourteen-ish -with short, blonde hair. It was decorated with a dark blue ribbon, as if to notify others that she was, in fact, female. I couldn't blame her, after all, I wouldn't have been able to tell that she had boobs if I didn't look down my- her -dress collar, but sure enough, those swells of skin were there, held in place by breast band. At least it wasn't a corset or else I—she –wouldn't be able to breathe.

Slowly, I brought my hand to my face and she did the same. Her wide green eyes stared back at me as she ran her hand over her cute nose and soft cheeks. Then she looked at her legs, covered with white tights, and little black shoes. Tied to her arm was a bright red piece of cloth. At last, it started clicking in my head that those articles of clothing, along with her pink dress, were exactly what I was wearing.

I screamed a girly scream.

"She's in here!" I looked towards the door and mentally scolded myself. Great, now they were coming for her, me, _us_. I dove under the bed, and prayed that they didn't come in here. But life was a jerk and they did. Heavy boots pounded on the floor as the two men looked around the room.

"Are you sure it's this one?" Mr. Tan asked, speaking with a rather quaint little accent. From under the bed, I could get a better image of him. He was taller than I originally thought and probably would have a handsome face if it wasn't covered by a bright white mask; Though I had to give him points for making his red turban match the fall colors of his brown slacks and red shirt.

"'_Fall colors?'" _I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows. "_Great, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours, yet I'm already starting to sound like a girl." _

Limeyboy nodded, checking the side of the bed. "I'm sure of it," he said, sounding both irritated and bored at the same time. I pulled my legs and arms closer to my sides. I wondered how he could do that.

Suddenly, something grabbed my foot and roughly pulled me out. I screamed and clawed at the floor like a cat, but it was no use. Within in seconds, I was completely out in the open, vulnerable to the two men above me. "Got ya!" Mr. Tan yelled, smiling cockily. Growling, I kicked his hand off of my foot, just to have his partner grab my shoulders and force me to my feet. "I have to say, Liechtenstein, you were harder to catch than I originally suspected."

Like a fish, I opened and closed my mouth dumbly. Liechtenstein: that was this girl's name. I felt as though I had heard it somewhere before, but my brain was crying and I had no idea what the heck I was supposed to do. My natural instincts did call for me to crawl into a corner and cry but where would that get me?

"It wouldn't have been so hard if you had just listened to me sooner," Limeboy snapped, pipe bouncing in his mouth. How does he keep it balanced there while he talked? Scratch that- how does he keep his hair like that? His front bangs were somehow styled so that they were pointing upwards. That had to defy a few laws of gravity.

Mr. Tan shrugged. "Yeah, well I figured that the bigger the chase, the more fun it would be," he replied, still grinning.

He hotly huffed, "That was _not _fun."

"Yes it was, jackass." Mr. Tan looked down at me with his amber eyes. I cringed, trying to make myself smaller. There was a hunter's glint in his eye. He was a bloodhound and I was the defenseless doe. "Tell me, Liechtenstein, was this fun?" He asked. For a moment, all I could do was stare. These men were taking this a little too lightly. "Well?"

Limeyboy nudged me. "Y-yes," I stuttered out. "This was very fun."

He chuckled. "See, Netherlands. She agrees." Wait, why was he calling him 'Netherlands'? My mind flashed to my sister's stupid anime show. Oh no, I was _not _in Hetalia. I bet it's just like a nickname or something.

Limeyboy- Netherlands -scowled. "For the last time Turkey. It's _the _Netherlands." Turkey? Once again I shook the thought from my head. Nope, still a joke.

Turkey mimicked his visage. "Well I will start calling you _the _Netherlands if you will start calling me _The _Ottoman Empire." Only a completely overdone nickname.

"I will once you lose the ego."

Turkey sucked in a huge breath of air, as if to yell at him. I bit my lip in preparation, but it never came. Instead, he forced it down with a sigh. "I hate you," he growled, reaching behind his back. "Come on-" He suddenly pulled out two curved swords. "Let's get her back to the ship."

My universe suddenly only consisted of me and those weapons. Swords were just knives that took a crap amount of steroids. They were fucking _huge _knives.

The Netherlands nudged me. "Hey, girl. Are you alright?"

I shook my head. In a small voice, I whispered, "No."

Then I fainted.

* * *

**THE WAR: Unknown Day**

When I came to, I found myself lying on damp wood. The pungent smell of old salt water made me crinkle my nose. "_Where am I?" _I wondered, slowly sitting up. Was it just me, or was the whole room rocking back and forth in a soothing rhythm? Almost like . . .

"I'm on a boat!" I exclaimed, scrambling to my feet. I was going to run to a nearby window or onto deck, but then an iron fence appeared right in front of me. An iron fence that formed rows of cells much like mine. Crap, I was in a prison cell. A deep, dark, musty old prsion. I couldn't even begin to describe how bad it smelled in there.

"Really?" I yelled, shaking the bars in frustration. "Is this really necessa-"

"Hell yeah!" I trailed off, the obnoxious voice overcoming my own. The loud thuds of pounding feet drifted to my ear and grew louder with each step. My stomach dropped. I carefully stepped back from the bars and pushed myself against the wall. I didn't like the sound of whoever's coming. Two seconds took their sweet two years to pass before the man entered the room.

He was practically an adult- tall, slender, and muscular. A pair of glasses sat on his nose, framing two sky blue eyes. His hair was a light gold, wild and topped by a cowlick. A large smile stretched across his face as he sprinted right up to my bars with a bang. I jumped and pushed myself further away. There was something off about his goofy and excited smile.

"I can't believe you finally woke up!" He gushed, rocking on his bare heels. "I've been waiting for hours and do you know how freaking bored I was?" Like a puppy dog to his master, he gave me a hopeful look. He obviously wanted me to answer.

Gulping, I took one last look at him. His bare feet were mostly covered by a pair of long, brown slacks that have seen better days. They were obviously too big for him, but he used a red, white, and blue scarf as a belt. The freak wore no shirt, only a brown vest that showed a chest worthy of a high school athlete.

I noted a white piece of cloth tied around his bare arm.

I cleared my throat. "Ye-"

He immediately started talking again. "I wanted to throw a bucket of water on you, but Captain Russia said that I couldn't."

I coughed. "Okay, but-"

"Apparently, that's cruel and unusual," he ranted on. I scowled. Wow, he was probably the rudest person I'd ever met. Even Sherry wasn't this bad. "But it's way more cruel just to leave you alone here. There's probably spiders and shit. Hey, do you like spiders and stuff?" At that point, I just started tuning him out. "I think that it would be very sweet to be, like, part human, part spider but England always tells me that that's stupid. Well, you know, he's stupid. The stupid guy gets a king who actually gives religious freedom and he kicks him off the throne. I mean, come on! How stupid do you have to be to do that? But anyways, Erwin sent you, right?"

It was as if someone just tazed me. My limbs spazzed out as I jumped a mile. "You know Erwin?" I shrieked, sounding like the girl I was. I wasn't sure whether or not I should feel happy or worried. I mean, this guy might be in the same situation as me or he could be working against me.

My worries, however, were forced aside when the stranger nodded. "Sure thing! I'm Alfred F. Jones and I'm supposed to be your mentor!"

* * *

**MW: **Alright, commentary. As you guys probably have noticed, this first chapter is vastly different from TFG one. That one was a little plot set up and mostly slap stick whereas this puppy was mostly plot with a few good lines. I swear to God, next chapter when we actually meet all the Hetalia characters, this will become ten times funnier.

**BFTL: **Yuppy! And people, here's an idea: if the 70+ people who read TFG all reviewed this one chapter, everyone would be freaking over over how a one chapter story was so popular.

**SEK: **You do realize that'll never happen, right?

**BFTL: **We can try.

**MW: **Thank you for reading!

**FunFacts**

"The stupid guy gets a king" Not to get into a long history discussion, but during 17th century England, there was a Catholic king on the throne who gave religious freedom to a Protestant country. The response was to kick him off the throne and replace him with his Protestant sister and her Dutch husband. This is called "The Glorious Revolution."

**Next Chapter: **Larry and Alfred slowly reach an understanding and our hero meets the rest of the crew.


	2. You're All a Buncha Doitsus

**BFTL: **Happy end of the world, everybody!

**SEK: **Yeah, sorry for the long wait. Wolfie is not only splitting her time between two stories now, but she also had to work around her play and finals. But we're all on winter break now and we all fully intend on treating you all with more consistent updates. Right Wolf?

**MW: **Yes indeed. Which brings me to our second line of duty. Who here made a sacrifice to Satan because it sure ain't holy how many reviews thing story has. 21 reviews for the first chapter alone? Guys, that is positively amazing! Thank you.

**BFTL: **And by reading your reviews, we now know that we have to make a few things clear: Jerry is still gay and in love with Larry, but since Larry doesn't know it, there wasn't much emphasis on it.

**MW: **Also, we already have people analyzing this. People such as **Fortune Maiden** and **Star of ages 14 **have already correctly guessed that FB is about respecting other people and their fandoms. Good job, guys!

**SEK: **And we all hope that you enjoy!

**Chapter Summary: **After getting to know Alfred, Larry meets the rest of the crew and finds out the whole deal of this crazy war.

**Warnings: **Strong language, sexual themes, homophobia, and incest.

**Disclaimer: **We still own nothing but the cloths on our backs.

* * *

**~Chapter 2~**

**You're All a Buncha Doitsus**

"_We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."_

_-_**Dr. Seuss, ****American Writer, Poet, Cartoonist, and Key Ingredient to Every Kid's Childhood**

* * *

**THE WAR: Unknown day**

I stared at him. Alfred grinned back at me, pointing a thumb at his chest. It was if he was stuck in a comic book world or something. I could easily picture this guy being best friends with Tony Stark and starring in _The Avengers_.

I dug at the dirt beneath my nails. Of course, I was on an unfamiliar ship, in an unfamiliar woman's body, with an unfamiliar weirdo. Right not was not the time to be thinking about Robert Downey Jr. Right now I had to be serious. So what do I-

"Hey! Girly!" Alfred jumped in front of my jail, waving his hands around like an idiot. Actually, he looked as though he was doing jumping jacks. Heaven knows, his abs sure was showing it. I could literally see his muscles extend and contract with each movement. I had to resist taking time to feel my own, weak biceps. In my normal body, I was pretty strong but I was a cute little blond chick right now and she was weak. "Did you hear me?" he demanded, still bouncing. "I said that my name is Alfred!"

I sighed and gave a reluctant nod. "I hear you the first time," I snapped. My eyes harden and my frown deepened. "So you said that you work for Erwin, right?"

He smiled and nodded giddily. "Sure thing! You and I are on the same boat, missy! I-" He paused, realizing what he said. Scratching his face, he added, "Pun not intended."

Again, I sighed. What question should I risk asking him first? He seemed a little dense and I was not ready to rule him out as safe. I pressed my lips together. In all truth, even if he was my 'mentor' or whatever he called himself, I wouldn't know what to do next. Yes, I could go after this Gilbert guy, but I wanted to see why Erwin would be concerned with him. "_I just want to know who Erwin is," _I realized, watching Alfred as he started talking about other boat and ocean related puns he could make. "_Well, it's definitely not this guy."_

I cleared my throat and asked, "So what do you exactly mean by 'mentor?'"

Alfred, who was on a rather clever pun about clams, paused and gave me a confused look. "Did Erwin not explain it to you?" he demanded. I nodded. His blue orbs for eyes blinked before he explained, "Well I'm supposed to watch over you as you complete your deal with him." He laughed. "Seriously, it's as though you haven't gone through this before."

"I haven't."

His face dropped instantly. Furrowing his eyebrows, Alfred started counting his fingers as he tried to figure out something in his head. "You haven't gone through this before?" He muttered, still looking absolutely vexed. I gave him an odd look. "If you haven't gone through this before, then that means-" He suddenly pointed at me and screeched, "Who the hell are you?"

This time, I was confused. Was he supposed to have a certain person here? What would happen if I was not them? Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the bars. I extended my hand through it, saying, "My name is Larry Sue. Nice to meet you."

Alfred stared at me with growing shock. "You're a guy?" He screamed, freaking out more than I ever did. He was hyperventilating and scrambling to the other side of the room until his back banged against the iron bars across from me. I tried not to be offended, but how could I not? He was treating this like it was the greatest catastrophe of all time, even worse than when Disney bought Lucas films.

Angrily, I snapped back, "Yes, I have a penis. Is that so hard to deal with?"

"But you're in Liechtenstein's body," he pointed out calmly. "So you have a vagina now."

"How the hell did you just suddenly calm down?" I yelled, banging my forehead against the bars. I could feel the rust leave brown marks on my skin, but I could care less.

"Well you being a guy is not my problem, so I wouldn't get in trouble for it," Alfred explained, walking back to me. He easily plopped down onto the ground in front of me, crisscrossing his legs like an Indian- excuse me, Native American. "Anyways, Erwin said that your deal was-"

"I have to make this Gilbert guy drink this vial thing," I completed, taking it out for him to see. Alfred adjusted his glasses, inching in closer to get a good look at it. "I'm going to guess that you have no idea who he is."

He happily shook his head. "Nope. Everyone here is a country."

.

.

.

I tried picking out some ear wax from my ear. "I'm sorry, I don't think that I heard you right," I said. "'Cause I swear that I just heard you say that everyone is a country."

The blond nodded, unaware of my inner turmoil. "Sure thing! Everyone on this ship is the living, breathing, human personification of a country!"

I carefully put the precious vial back into my pocket. Then, once I was sure that it wouldn't fall out and break, I angrily stomped my foot on the wood floor. "What. The. Heck!" I yelled. "What is this? Freaking Hetalia?"

Alfred cocked his head. "What's Hetalia?"

I groaned. "It's a stupid Japanese show where they have a bunch of gay guys who represent countries go around and be gay for each other," I explained. "I mean, seriously! A gay Sweden? Who the hells wants that?"

"What's wrong with being gay?" Alfred demanded harshly.

Rolling my eyes, I let myself fall onto the ground. I said, "Let me guess: you just happen to be one of those countries and England is your boyfriend."

He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Actually, I'm the only human here," he explained. He tugged at the white cloth tied around his arm. "That's why I have this white band."

I suddenly remembered that I was wearing one too, except mine was red. And if I remembered correctly, Turkey and the Netherlands wore brown ones. "Is there some significance to those?" I asked curiously. "Everyone seems to be wearing a different color."

For a second, Alfred looked like the happiest person on the whole planet. It was as if he was eagerly waiting for his chance to guide me and to- dare I say- save me. Buzzing with joy, he told me, "Well, all the countries are kind of in a war right now. Apparently, all of their bosses want them out of the way for a while, so they set them up for this big game entitled 'THE WAR'."

I shook my head. This sounded just like something in that stupid anime. 'Hey! Let's take war and make it completely stupid and insulting!' Stupid yaoi freaks.

Rubbing my temples, trying to banish the crazy broads from my head, I said, "That's really dumb . . ."

"I not done explaining it," He whined. I wanted to sigh again, but it occurred to me that with such a childish mind set, I just might make Alfred burst into pathetic tears. Instead, I sat respectfully aside as he finished, "Apparently, the way to win THE WAR is to steal the coat of the opposing captain. It's really cool because the teams were formed by picking names out of a hat, so this is the first time a lot of the European nations are meeting the Asian ones and stuff."

"So why are you here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Well I'm your mentor. I got to help you."

I groaned. Great, I was in the hands of an idiot who took everything a little too superficially. "No, I mean why you- a human -are among a bunch of lunatics who are supposedly countries?"

Alfred snapped his fingers in a Z-formation and shook his head like a sassy black woman (yes, I am being absolutely serious. At that moment, I don't think that Tyler Perry could have been more black than he was). "Na-uh, brother. They _are _countries and you better get used to it-"

I slyly muttered, "Yeah, when I wake up."

"-But to answer your question, Captain Russia wanted an extra hand on deck, so he hired me to help take care of the ship while he and the other countries fight THE WAR."

I blinked. I still didn't believe that I was not sleeping, but at this point, it would be pointless to continue arguing about it. So I just pretended that I accepted everything as I asked, "So Russia is this team's captain?"

Alfred nodded. "Yup. He's freaky, though I would be more worried about his first mate."

My dread filled the air. What would this weirdo consider worrisome? Broccoli? "Do I even want to know?" I asked, burying my face in my hands.

This guy was the most oblivious air head I'd ever met since he grinned and took my rhetorical question as a real one. "You sure do!" He exclaimed, reminding me of a joyful Mickey Mouse. "See here, his first mate is his crazy ass-"

"Alfred!" We both looked up, hearing the sound of feet pounding heavily on the floor above us. That sounded like a harpy, ready to strike for the kill.

"Who is that?" I whispered, hearing her feet grow closer.

Alfred gulped. "That, my dear friend, is the first mate." He made the sign of the cross. "Lord have mercy on our souls."

I turned to him, giving him one of those small, I-am-obviously-scared-as-shit chuckles. "Surely she can't be that-" Out of nowhere, a knife embedded itself at the very tip of Alfred's feet. Considering the fact that he was barely three feet away from me, my phobic side went on complete haywire. That dagger- _knife -_was far far far far _far _too close for any level of my comfort. I shrieked, scrambling as far away from it as possible. I stumbled over my arms and legs in the process, but no matter what, I could not rip my eyes off of the deadly weapon.

When the woman entered the room, she was met with the strange image of Alfred looking scared at the knife at his feet and me sliding my back higher and higher up the wall in blind panic. She, a beautiful adult with long platinum blonde locks, rolled her eyes and marched right up to us. "What the hell are you two doing?" she demanded, blue eyes glaring at us. No nonsensely, she pulled the dagger out of the ground.

My eyes followed at as she lifted her blue skirt and placed the dagger in the sheath-band-thingy that Angelina Jolie would wear. Once it was gone, I felt the buzz leave and my head clear. Slowly, I slid back to the ground, taking a deep breath. I could feel my embarrassment bubble in my stomach, but I ignored it in favor of watching what the woman was going to do next.

She wiped her hands on her white blouse, shooting Alfred a long glare. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, looming over him like Satan to a Mormon. "Russia and I told you to bring Liechtenstein up onto deck and what do you do? You're sitting on the ground _flirting _with her."

That hit a nerve. "That is disgusting!" I said, jumping onto my feet and marching right up to her. Upper lip curled, I stuck my arm out of the bars and stuck my finger right in her perfect face. "I don't know who you think you are, but there is no way I would ever _ever _flirt with a ma-"

She took my arm and twisted it. I yelped and fell to my knees. That made it worse since now my aching limbs had to also support the majority of my weight. "I'll watch what you say, Liechtenstein," she warned, frowning down upon. "If my big brother didn't want to see you, you would have a blade in your head."

There was no way I was going to lose to a woman. I glared up at her, spitting, "My name is not Liechtenstein, it's-" Alfred motioned for me to shut my mouth. I raised an eyebrow, giving him a questioning look. "You-"

"So you want to me called you 'You?'" She laughed. A small smirk stretched upon her face. You know, if she wasn't a psychopathic broad, I would say that she that she had a very pretty laugh. "That is one of the best things I've ever heard, You," she told me as she released my arm. I snapped it back to my side and cradled it to my chest. It felt as though some of my blood vessels were dead. She took a key out of her pocket and opened the cell door. "But we need to see Russia now, so get moving and don't cause any trouble." And the frown was back.

I gave her a wary glance and calmly walked out of my cell. The woman raised an eyebrow at the delicate way I held my arm but said nothing. Instead, she inflicted her wrath upon Alfred. "And get off your lazy ass, Alfred," she demanded, kicking him harshly. To his credit, my mentor did not cry out and stood as quickly as he could.

She motioned for us to follow her out of the door and up the stairs. "Who is she?" I whispered as I tried to maintain proper footing on the damp and dark stairs. It reeked in there and I already felt sick to my stomach.

"That's Belarus," Alfred explained, trying to be as quiet as his naturally loud voice would allow him. I frowned. Belarus was a country once part of the Soviet Union. Great, everyone here was crazy. "And she's the first mate and the worse doitsu you'll ever meet."

I gave him a blank look. "What the heck is a doitsu?"

Belarus hushed us before Alfred could explain. We walked in silence through the below decks of the ship. It looked like the stander pirate ship one would dream of- the staircase came out into a long hall that acted as the kitchen and eating area. It was empty, though there was a pot of something unidentified cooking on an old fashioned stove. The room extended further down to be a cannon room and armory. "_What a great place to eat," _I thought grimly.

There was a door to the side with a sign in many different languages hanging on it. The only one I knew remotely was Spanish, but it was only high school skills. I studied it for a long moment and decided that it read 'Storage Room'. I mean, it was either that or something about interpretive ballet (like there would be dancing pirates).

Anyways, at the end of the room another pair of staircases. One lead back to the second lower levels of below deck. I took a small glance down there and saw that it was the crew's sleeping chambers. The other stairs lead to above deck. I looked up it and winced at the streaming sunlight. Yes, it felt good on my pale face, but the brightness met harshly against my eyes. I placed a hand over them as I climbed out into the open.

That was when I realized that I would be meeting the crew.

The crew.

The freaking, God-forsaken crew.

I paused on the top step and stared. The ship was big alright, bigger than what I originally thought. It was massive, maybe the same, if not larger than, a football field. Yet, it floated effortlessly on a mass expanse of open blue sea. The crew, I guess, was a little small to run it though. There were maybe twenty-ish men and women, most wearing brown armbands, cleaning the deck, retying the sails, and generally working hard to keep the speed.

Alfred nudged me and I was reminded to keep walking. However, once I was fully in the open, a giant blond man in red with ridiculously messy hair grinned and yelled, "Hey Switzy! Your sister's here!" Um, what?

Every crew member stopped what they were doing to look at me. The giant especially with that stupidly large grin on his face, though I had to note that he wore a red armband like me. I stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to do or say. I waited for Alfred to step in and save me, but his hands were in his pockets and his lips busy whistling. "Liechtenstein!" A blond man in green with a brown armband pushed to the front. His green eyes met mine for a second before he ran over to me.

"Are you alright?" he demanded, touching my face. His hands went all over my small frame, searching for any wounds. This must be how girls feel when a guy touches them oddly- especially one they didn't know. Switzy noticed right off the bat how uncomfortable I was. Growling, he pulled a pistol from his holster and aimed it right at Belarus. "What the fuck did you do?"

The woman scowled, but did not take out her own weapon. "I did nothing, Switzerland," she snapped. Oh great, another crazy person. "If anything, I caught human boy there flirting with her."

This Switzerland, by far, was probably the craziest because he actually shot Alfred. Yeah, the bullet barely scraped the tips of his already abused toes, but it was enough to make me scream in surprise. "You did what, doitsu?" He screamed, turning red from anger.

I shrunk back a bit. Yup, everyone here was fracking insane. "_This is just a dream, Larry," I_ told myself as I slowly inched away from the men. "_Everything here is just the consequence of looking at all that anime crap. This is all-"_

Switzerland was stopped by Turkey. The man didn't wear his white mask this time, revealing his incredibly handsome face. It was one of those faces some idiot would claim to go gay for (stupid). Anyways, Turkey slung an arm around Switzerland's shoulders and grinned cockily. "Calm down, Switzy," he said, forcing the man to lower his gun. "Just take a deep breath and remember that Liechtenstein is a woman of her own making. If she wants to flirt with humans, then let her."

"Says he who sleeps with humans only," the Netherlands called out, earning a roaring laugh from the observing crew.

The man in the turban scowled, yelling, "So what if I don't like fucking the same person twice? Is it so hard to get some variety around here, Neder?"

Switzerland sighed and pushed his arm away, saying, "As long as you assholes stay away from my sister, I don't give a fuck who you fuck."

In my peripheral vision, I saw Alfred give a sincere nod. "That is a great catchphrase," he remarked. "What do you think, Liech?"

I frowned, saying, "Don't call me that. You know that my name is-"

The human stomped on my foot, causing me to howl out in pain. This once again attracted Switzerland's attention. As I jumped up and down, clutching my foot in pain, Liechtenstein's older brother swooped in for the kill. He roughly grabbed his vest and held his gun to his temple. A deadly aura radiated from his skin as he growled, "Do you want to die, doitsu?"

A collective 'ooh' came from the crew's mouths. "Don't call him a doitsu!" The giant called out. "That is far too cruel!" I felt like hitting something. Were these people directly taken from Alice in Wonderland because the drug filled mind of Lewis Carroll was the only place fit for them.

Before I could ask again what a doitsu was, someone came in from behind and lifted me bridal style. I squealed, feeling the strong arms holding me up perfectly. For a moment, I- for some reason -felt safe. I guess that this is why girls always fantasize about their lover holding them like this. I felt invincible from up here. Then I realized that Turkey was the one carrying me. Freaking Turkey. He looked down at me with his usual cocky look and winked.

I stared at him, asking, "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

His smile didn't fade as he chuckled lightly. "Well see here Liechtenstein, I just had this great revelation," he explained, holding me tighter to his chest. Wow, he was buff. "Switzerland has made sure that you kept your chastity, right?" I gave an uncertain nod. The crazy guy seemed as though he would. "So obviously, I haven't had the pleasure of spending the night with you yet." Oh hell no.

He pressed me closer, his grin suddenly seeming very sleazy. "So how about you and I go below deck and-"

A quiet clap spread through the air. "Comrades." In a second, the crew was silent and everyone was standing stalk still. Even Turkey had his back rigid as his amber eyes laid on the speaker. I carefully twisted my neck around, trying to get a glimpse of him. Once I did, I understood the obedience.

On a pirate ship, people typically note the deck where the crew works then the elevated level where the captain steers. Standing on said level was Brown Coat. Up close, I could see that his hair was a light brown, border lining gray. It laid like feathers on his round, pallid face that was decorated with large, violet eyes. His nose was huge and his sick smile was bigger. Even under the hot sun, the large man wore a light pink scarf and long brown pants to match.

Brown Coat's eyes glided over his crew, checking to see that everything was in place. The light tapping of an iron pipe on the stair rails only emphasized the effect. It also made his stare on Turkey and me more life threatening when his hand went still. "Turkey, friend, what are you doing?" he calmly asked, expression never faltering. "Why are you holding little Liechtenstein like that?"

I shivered. Okay, this guy was creepy. Turkey had enough sense to drop me at that point, but he was determined to make sure that he continued to hold his head high. Prideful twat. "The rest of the crew was getting rowdy," he dutifully reported, frowning tightly. "I thought to best to take Liechtenstein away from everyone else so that she does not panic."

I turned to him and gave him my best glare. That perverted liar! Was he really going to try to get away with hitting on me? Heck no. I opened my mouth, ready to call him the liar he was when someone purposefully coughed.

"That is complete bullshit," a man said as he took a step forward from the rest of the crew. He seemed to act pretty normal thus far, but his appearance was white against black- literally. This guy was an albino with dead white skin, white hair, and crimson-pink eyes. He- besides Brown Coat -was the only other male there who wore winter clothes. His long navy blue shirt and black slacks seemed heavy in the sun. By the pink blotched on his cheeks, I would say that his lack of melanocytes was the cause for the cover up.

The albino strutted to us, took my shoulders, and yanked me away from Turkey like a doll. "Don't worry, Liech," he whispered, placing me right by Liechtenstein's older brother. "The awesome me will handle this." The awesome. . . great, another crazy person. Was my dream going to give me anyone sane?

Liech's savoir patted his hair and held himself like a lawyer. Trying to sound official, he said, "See here, _Captain Russia, _I saw Turkey lift Liechtenstein into his arms. Using my awesome ability to read lips, I realized that he wanted to have sex with her, a concept that made Liechtenstein want to barf."

"You wanted to do _what _with my sister?" Switzerland growled, protectively pushing me behind him. Alfred placed his hands on my shoulders and gave them a strong, reassuring squeeze. It was as if his obnoxious voice was telling me to be strong and carry on.

I watched as the blond pressed the barrel of his gun to Turkey's head. The tanned man didn't even blink, only looked down at him with daring eyes. Wow, was he trying to get himself killed?

Brown Coat- Captain Russia -tapped his pipe on the rails. It was soft, yet more than enough to get the whispering crew to hush again. "Turkey, Switzerland: I am going to have to ask you to release your sexual tensions some other time," he ordered sternly.

Turkey choked. "Sexual tensions?" he repeated, giving him a horrified look. Quickly, he swatted the gun away and jabbed a finger at the Swiss's face. "What the hell make you think that I would want to fuck this jackass?"

"I could say the exact same thing about this doitsu!" Switzerland snapped back.

The albino gave him a shocked look, saying, "Hey, German bro. No need to go so low."

"Shut up Prussia!" The giant out, causing Alfred to crack up laughing. I had forgotten that he was even here. "No one likes you!"

Russia sighed, "Be quiet now." And _poof_! Everyone was silent and soberly back to looking at him- even Alfred. "As much fun as it is to pick on our dear friend Prussia and Turkey-"

"Ottoman," said man grumbled.

"-we have more pressing matters to deal with." He turned to Belarus. "Sister, if you would please." Oh, so those two are siblings. Freaking girl with the knives and creepy guy with a pipe are totally related. Seriously, I wasn't even using sarcasm there.

Belarus nodded, the bow at the center of her head bobbing with her. Her lips pressed tightly, she turned around, marched a few paces, roughly grabbed my arm, and dragged me back to the front. I heard a few- mainly Prussia and Alfred -gasp at the harsh treatment, but no one else seemed to notice or care.

Belarus shoved me to the foot of Russia's staircase. I stumbled an inch before balancing. I determinedly focused my eyes to the ground think about how there seemed to be a lot of staircases on this ship. A heavy silence filled the air. For a moment, I did nothing but twiddle with my thumbs and rock on my heels. I heard Russia as he breathed and took heavy steps down. He didn't stop until his chest was practically in my face. I closed my eyes and pretended that I was back home. "_Just a dream, Lar. Nothing but a-"_

Russia delicately placed his hand under my chin and forced me to look up at him. His smile wasn't anything less creepy, but beneath his terrifying aura was a gentleness. "Welcome to my ship, _The Romanov. _As you know, I am the Captain and my little sister is the first mate. I hope that your time thus far hasn't been too bad." He shot Turkey and Switzerland a glare. They both frowned.

It wasn't until there was a few seconds of silence did I realize that I was supposed to speak. My only problem was that I had no idea how this Liechtenstein was supposed to act. Was she brash and naughty, or kind and sweet? Compared to everyone else here, I bet that if I just acted like a Saturday Night Live creation, I would be fine. But acting was Stella's thing and she was in a hospital, dying.

My resolve suddenly felt stronger. "Your jail cell was just delightful," I replied, giving him a condescending look. "Though I suggest giving the rats a few beds- they look a little uncomfortable." Everyone laughed. I blushed. Crap, was that the right thing to say? Oh man, what if Liechtenstein really was a super sweet little girl? She sure did look the part.

All of my worries, however, faded away when Russia clapped my shoulder. "That was one of the funniest things I have ever heard," he said merrily. He suddenly didn't look all that scary. "I guess England's snark does rub off on other people."

"Tell me about it." I looked behind to see Belarus frowning and sending me a glare that could kill a goat. She looked ready to claw at something like a ferocious feline. "Earlier, she told me to call her You."

"You?" Russia laughed again. "My, you have quite the sense of humor."

I frowned and shoved his hand off me. "Don't call me that," I ordered, knitting my eyebrows.

He stared at his rejected hand for a moment before turning his smile to his first mate. "I think she wants that to be her pet name," he told her. Belarus's eyes softened as she suddenly looked a little guilty for killing me with stares. In fact, she looked down nervous and brushed her foot along the deck.

Realizing that he had gotten off topic, Russia cleared his throat and started again. "Anyways, so Liechtenstein, I can presume that you didn't like it so much in the cells, right?" he asked. I grudgingly nodded. "That's good! You want to know why?"

I rolled my eyes. "Humor me."

Russia laughed and painfully squeezed my shoulder. I gasped and felt my knees go weak. Oh crap, that freaking hurt. I guess that's his sign to shut up. "See here, on my ship, everyone one helps out," he said. "That way, there is less work overall and we can have more fun. So I offer you a deal: if you agree to not cause trouble and help around the ship, you can have free reign to wander as you please. If not, then you'll stay on your cell and I'll be forced to torture you. Deal?"

My mouth dropped. He couldn't be serious, yet I knew that he was. "That is hardly a choice!" I yelled.

He blinked. "What is wrong with it?" he asked, tilting his head in childish confusion. "Your comrade Denmark readily agreed to it without problem." I turned to see the giant blonde in red waving his arm around like an idiot.

"Don't try to be the hero. Liech!" Denmark yelled, causing the Netherlands to give him an annoyed look. "Just accept the deal and move on!"

Not to be a hipster or anything, but that would be way too mainstream. I folded my arms over my chest. I fumbled a bit- how do girls work around their boobs so easily? "I want something more," I said. I heard Alfred and array of others facepalm.

Russia smiled happily. He sang, "Fine then, to the rack you go!" He lifted me over his shoulder like a rag doll. That was when it hit me that he was being serious. _Everyone _was being serious to some degree. Then again, this was just a dream. There was nothing to fear.

But then the strangest of things happened.

From atop of the crazy Russian, I felt my whole body turn grossly numb. I tried to raise a finger, even blink an eyelid, but my body refused to comply. Instead, I just hung there limply. That is, until something started moving me on its own. "I change my mind!" I started screaming.

Internally, I was confused. "_What's going on?" _I wondered, noticing that I was kicking and pounding the man's back. I didn't want to do that. "_Why-"_

A small, female voice, barely rising above a whisper, answered me. "_Please trust me," _she said. I tried to focus on the world around me, searching for a source but no one but myself was speaking. It was just me in the blonde's body, repeatedly screaming my request.

At last, Russia took pity on me and he dropped me. I fell like a rock. Luckily, Alfred swooped in and caught me before I could hurt my rump on the deck. Like Turkey did earlier, he held my bridal style, except this time I actually allowed myself to feel safe. Inch by inch, I could feel my control return. Already, I was able to flex my fingers in a complex pattern. I sighed and leaned into him.

Alfred was good, Alfred was safe.

"That is a smart choice." Russia smiled, easily forgetting about his threat. I stared at him, sweating. Thank goodness this was just a dream or else I would actually have to worry about learning to live with this guy. "My sister will give you your assignments for the day. I trust that you will listen to her, yes?"

Hesitantly, I peeked at said woman. She was scowling, freely giving me the bird from behind her brother's back. "Yeah, I think we'll be fine," I told him, tearing my eyes away. In a soft breath, I quietly added, "Especially if she uses those knives."

He clapped his hands again (he must really like doing that) and turned back to the rest of his crew. "Now that my first order of business is done, let us move on to the second. As we all know, the attack yesterday lead to the capture of Liechtenstein. However, the good things must be paid with the bad. So, fellow nations, I must ask you: does anyone have any idea where the hell Spain is?"

The crew exchanged glances and shrugged. Just as I was starting to feel a little bad for Spain (he was captured and none of his crew mates seemed to care), another blonde man took a step forward. He was around Switzerland's height with short, professional hair while his oddly colored eyes were framed by square glasses. "We unfortunately have no idea where Spain is," he reported. "However we did find this cat-" He held up a white cat with brown spots and a fluffy lion's mane. "-and Greece and I believe that he would make a fine replacement."

Russia frowned. "Estonia, we are not going to replace Spain with a cat," he said. "Where did you even get that thing?"

A tanned teen with curly brown hair took a step forward. Yawning, he raised his hand, saying, "I did during the attack. I thought that he was cute-"

Turkey groaned and marched straight up to the younger male. "What the hell, Greece?" He asked, grabbed him by his vest (he was one of those people who wore no shirt). "How many fucking times do I have to tell you to stop picking up stray cats?"

I stared at the beast in Estonia's hands. I liked cats- we used to own one ourselves. Way back when we were children, Sherry received a little kitten for Christmas. I still remember the way she held the little white ball of fur in her hands as she named him Berry. Berry was a good cat and we had him for many years. When I read or played video games, he would always rub himself against my leg and purr loudly. He never did that with Sherry or Jerry or Mom or Dad; only me. It made me feel important, special. But one day, we found out that he had cancer. And a few months later, Berry died.

I miss Berry . . .

My attention was drawn back to the present when I noticed Estonia waving. Smiling brightly, he held the cat up for me to see. "_Do you want him?" _he mouthed. Without a single thought, I nodded. He placed the cat on the ground and lightly directed it towards me. Realizing what was going on, I tapped Alfred and softly told him to put me down. Alfred shrugged and did just that.

I knelt on a single knee, beckoning for it to come to me. In the background, I could hear another argument about Greece and his cat problems, but I ignored it. My mind was zoned in on the animal and getting it to come to me. The cat didn't need a lot of coaxing. After a minute of soft whistles and promise of love, its little paws patted on the deck and jumped into my arms.

I giggled and held it closer as I rose to my feet. It was so _fluffy! _Oh my God, I just wanted to keep this little guy for forever and ever and ever and-

"I think it likes you." I paused and looked at the speaker, Switzerland. He smiled softly and turned to the captain, saying, "Captain Russia, he seems to really like her. Can't we just keep him for a little bit?"

I nodded in agreement. "Just for a day or two?" I asked, a small pout on my lips. I even made sure to (try to) act like an innocent little girl. It wasn't hard- Liechtenstein's looks did half of my work for me.

Russia sighed and nodded, saying, "Keep it forever as long as you take care of it and the crew agrees that we are not replacing Spain. Okay?" Apparently, I was not the only one to like it since everyone loudly voiced an agreement.

I smiled and held the cat in front of me. I chuckled, reminded of that scene from the Lion King. "You should give it a name," Alfred suggested. "How about Stark? Stark's a good name for a cat."

It seemed like instinct to simply shake my head. "We're not naming it that," I told him. My senses suddenly became very aware of how soft it was. My mind flashed back to that one scene in the second season of _Avatar _where Sokka meets a saber-tooth moose lion cub. "We're going to call it Foo Foo Cuddlypoops."

The Netherlands groaned. Running his hand down his face, he exclaimed, "It's a male, Liechtenstein! Give it a manly name." I blinked. I guessed that he was right. But what was manly? Who was the manliest person I knew?

"We're going to call it Sokka," I announced, grinning broadly. The crew exchanged looks. They muttered about who this 'Sokka' was and how I could possibly know him, but I ignored it. Sokka seemed happy about it- it leaned in and affectionately licked my face. I winced at the rough tongue, but felt the mirth nonetheless.

If I was going to trust one person here, it was going to be Sokka. Sorry Alfred, but it's a cat. I love cats.

Russia cleared his throat, once again returning the air to silence. Still smiling (did he ever stop?), he looked at his underlings and said, "I believe that our crew meeting is done with and everyone may return to work now." We all clapped and watched him as he retreated to his captain quarters- that little room built under the top level of the deck.

For a second, I thought that I could relax. More than anything, I wanted to curl up on a bed and sleep. My fantasy was enhanced with the idea that Sokka could curl up right next to me and we could share warmth. But certain things- no matter how much Cinderella may sing otherwise- can only exist in dreams.

"You heard him, get back to work," Belarus barked. Her harsh voice sent everyone scampering to their previous stations. I may not have known him well, but I would never have expected Denmark to eagerly pick up a mop and clean the deck. Nope, never in a million years. "You two." Alfred and I jumped. "I want you two to clean the deck around the steering wheel," she ordered. "If I find that one of you even thinks about skipping, I will personally kill you. Any questions?"

Alfred raised his hand. "Since when did you read minds?" he stupidly asked.

Her response was lifting her skirt and reaching for her knife.

_Knife._

I hastily grabbed his arm and dragged him to our assigned job. As I gathered our soapy water and brushes, I noticed Belarus as she retreated to her brother's room. Odd, I would have figured her to stay on deck and watch over everything. I shrugged it off and got to work.

My sleeves were rolled up and watered soaked my dress and skinny legs. After five minutes of restless scrubbing, my shoulders and back started to ache. After ten, I felt a blister form on my palm. At twenty, my whole back ached too much for me to move any longer.

Hissing, I straightened and stretched. Crap, that fracking hurt. "Not used to the work, Larry?" Alfred asked, flashing me a cocky smile. He was still on his hands and knees and his scrubbing was as consistent and strong as when he first started. I bet even Sokka, who was perched on his back, was impressed at how strong he was.

I frowned and slowly returned to my original position. "Yeah, _now _you decide to call me that," I scoffed.

He gave me an offended look. "Look, I'm sorry Larry, but you and I are the only people who can know about this!" He defended. He sat up quickly, causing the confused cat to mewl and slide off. "If I called you Larry, everyone would be asking questions."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" I demanded. I did my best to seem pissed, but secretly, I was impressed. Even I hadn't bothered to think that.

The blonde shrugged, saying, "It really didn't occurr to me."

I sighed. There was no way to win with this guy. The best thing I could do was just change the subject. "So does everyone on this crummy ship claim to be a country?" I asked, slowly moving the brush back and forth. I winced, feeling a new blister form. Why did Liechtenstein's hands have to be so delicate?

"They aren't claiming," he said in a low voice. "In fact, I can tell you right now who's what country." This was probably one of the most and least helpful thing he had ever done for me. The teen pointed to each person as he said their name, allowing me to record their names in my memory. In the end, I knew that the ship consisted of seventeen pirates: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Japan, Hong Kong, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Prussia, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Alfred, and me.

Denmark and I were the only ones part of the Red Coats.

"We used to have two other members," Alfred said, dipping his brush into our bucket of water. "They were taken captive a few fights ago and we haven't heard from them since."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what their names are?" I asked.

A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. "Their names are Romano and Iceland." I flinched, seeing that Turkey was the one standing behind me. But instead of his usual cocky grin, there was a solemn look in his eyes. With the most seriousness I had seen all day, he said, "We've been trying to find them, but there is no trace of the Kid anywhere."

For some reason, I felt a little guilty. I didn't know this 'Kid' person or whether he was Romano or Iceland, but I could feel the pain of Turkey's loss. I felt bad for presuming that he was a perverted jerk. He still is, but maybe not so much. Carefully, I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I hope we find them soon," I said, staring straight ahead.

I noticed how Alfred stared back at me, as he was not expecting me to react so compassionately. Idiot, why do people always think that I didn't have a soft side? Was it because of my sister, since she is a major prick?

Turkey suddenly turned the tables and took my hand in his. I tried to jerk it away, but his calloused digits pressed against my blisters. I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut. It badly hurt. "You're not used to this kind of work," he noted, turning my palm up. My eyes squeezed tighter when he lightly ran a finger over the open skin. "How about Alfred and I take over from here?" he suggested, dropping my hand.

I tilted my head, asking, "Don't you have your own work to do?"

He shrugged. "Netherlands can take care of it without me," he said. I think I know why the Dutchman hated him so much. "And besides, anything to get you to owe me will be well worth the work." He winked.

He fracking _winked_. At _me_.

I shivered and rose to my feet. "Thanks . . ." I looked down and saw that my dress skirt was completely wet and it clung to my legs for dear life. "I think I'll go change," I said, sounding a bit dazed. Without much thought, I turned and climbed down the stairs. All the while, I looked down at my legs . . . which led me to look at my chest. A bit of the water was making the cloth also cling to my bosom, revealing that Liechtenstein really did have boobs, even if they were small. Were they even real? I wondered what would happen if I touched them . . .

"Liechtenstein." I jumped and snapped my hands back to my sides. "Y-yes Prussia?"

Prussia gave me an odd look, as if he saw me reaching for my own breasts. He kept his eyebrow raised as he asked, "Do you know where Turkey is? The Netherlands is bitching about it and he's threatening to burn his turban."

I hesitantly pointed a finger up the stairs. "He's up there," I told him. He started rolling up his sleeves, muttering about how badly he was going to 'kill the unawesome one'. I didn't even know that they used that word back in the pirate days. Just as he passed by me, I remembered my dress. "Um, Prussia? Do you know where I can get some new clothes?" I asked.

He turned back to me, raising an eyebrow. For a long second, he did nothing but look down at me with wide eyes. Then, in a small voice, he said, "Liechtenstein . . . are you asking me to help you dress?"

I was about to say no- I really was -but the idea of having to figure out how to put a dress on disturbed me. The last time I ever wore a skirt was when I dressed as a homemade half-boy-half-girl costume. In the end, everyone thought I was a cross dressing colonial Hitler. Yeah, it might be a good idea to get some help. "Yes-"

"All right!" Prussia suddenly grabbed my arm and practically dragged me below deck. All the while, he was loudly talking about his supreme taste in fashion. I noticed before our heads left the cool, open air that the crew was staring. I was surprised that Switzerland didn't jump to my rescue, but I saw him and Denmark arguing about something.

I frankly didn't care.

The Prussian made a right and took me to the bed chamber. As expected, it was a long hall with rows of hanging hammocks and floor cots. "Rip off your dress," Prussia ordered, stopping in front of one of the many cots. There was a wood chest at the foot. I noticed that 'Hungary' was engraved on the front.

As his pale hands fumbled with the lock, I said, "You know, that's was a man usually says when he's about to rape a girl." I went there.

He nodded. "True." I smirked. What do you know! There was someone here who didn't actually take everything to the absolute literal meaning. Digging around the chest, he smirked upon his discovery. "Yes, but in this instance-" He ripped out one of the most dreaded devices in the universe. "-this is what the man says before you put on a corset." He laughed.

I stared at the white rib crusher and took a large step back. "Oh hell no." I placed my arms in an 'X' over my chest. "There is no fracking way I would ever, _ever _wear that."

"But it's off the rage in England," he said, rising to his feet. Flipping his hair, he placed his hand on his waist and flamboyantly waved the other. "Here in Britain, we always want our women to have small waists," he mocked, doing a terrible English accent. In all truth, it sounded more Indian than anything. "Because small waists and big boobs are posh and we chaps like to be posh."

Mouth in a straight line, I shook my head and started walking away. "There is no way you are going to make me do this," I declared, stomping up the steps. I paused.

Sokka was there, sitting patiently with its tail sweeping the floor behind it. I had full intentions of going right past it, but its large green eyes gave me an ordering look. The cat wanted me to listen to Prussia and do what he said. I sighed.

Ten seconds later, I was amazingly back at his side, willingly holding my arms above my head. "_Great, I'm taking orders from a cat," _I grumbled as he excitedly pulled my dress off, revealing my white breast band and fluffy pantyhose. It was official- these idiots were starting to make me lose my mind

The harder part was getting me to fit in it. I pulled the corset on and placed my hands on the walls. "Don't be too rough," I muttered, taking a deep breath. I was going to regret this.

The albino smirked. "This must be your first," he replied easily, adding a little wink. I suddenly regretted this decisi-

"Holy Mother of Christ!" I screamed, arching my back and pounding my hand on the wall. I could feel my rib cage suffocating my lungs and squeezing my heart. Ugh, it felt as though every single one of my bones were slowly and painfully cracking. My pain was only reinforced by the sound of string scratching against cloth. "I said to be gentle!" I yelled.

"Did not." He pulled again and the corset became even smaller. I screamed. "You said not to be rough."

I coughed. "How is this not rough?"

He shrugged, saying, "I'm putting all of my awesome love into it." I groaned. "Oh, and you might want to brace yourself."

Sweat brimmed in the roots of my hair and trickled down my face. I hollowly laughed, "You mean this thing can get even smal-" He pulled. "Holy frack!" My fist was creating a dent in the wood. "I fracking hate you! Oh my God, why can't I have a bra instead?"

Prussia tilted his head to the side. "What's a bra?" he questioned, tying off the strings, Thank goodness- anymore and I thought that I would die. "Is it a piece of armor?"

That was when it occurred to me that this was in the past and the majority of people were not going to understand most of the allusions I was going to make. Placing a hand on my aching sides, I shook my head and explained, "A bra is an article of clothing that uses stiff cups to hold a woman's breasts in place."

As I reached into Hungary's chest for an actual dress, he appreciatively nodded. "That sounds weird," he said, fingers wrapped around his chin. "But I like it. Maybe one day I'll be awesome enough to invent it."

I sighed and looked up at him. "Prussia, you . . ." I trailed off. From my angle, I could see his pants clearly. There was a tent. A huge, prominent tent.

I was not sure what girls did when they discovered that their girlfriends were aroused, but guys usually made a gay joke before recommending a good place to jerk off. So I looked out for my fellow male and coughed. "You might want to take care of that," I said, motioning to his privates.

Prussia looked down, turned a deep shade of red, and crossed his legs. I didn't give him a chance to come up with an excuse- I just chose a dress, pulled it quickly over my head, and motioned to the room's farthest corner. As he hanged his head in embarrassment, I silently waved goodbye and hurried out. I guessed that was one thing I would not miss now that I was a girl: surprise erections.

I didn't look back as I hurried further up the stairs and back onto deck. I cursed as I held my skirt off the ground. I should have realized that Hungary was taller than me- Liechtenstein -and therefore her dresses were going to be big on me. Grumbling, I bitterly thought about my new body. If I was myself, I wouldn't have to be wearing something that restricted your breathing. If I was me, I wouldn't have blisters on my hands. If I was Larry Ebenezer Sue, I would-

The back of my dress caught on a nail. Yelping, I fell forward and grabbed the first line of support: the captain's quarters door knob. Surprisingly, it stopped me. I looked up and silently thanked it. Thank goodness the door was locked or else . . . I blinked. Why was the door locked? Did Russia not trust his crew?

I quickly looked around the ship. Everything seemed normal, no one noticed me, and my only witness was Sokka. In fact, everyone was watching Denmark and Alfred have a fake sword fight with mops. Safe, I held my face right in front of the cartoon style keyhole and peered through.

Russia and Belarus were together.

On his lavishly decorated bed.

Together.

Kissing.

Naked.

Like sex.

Excuse me, _incestuous _sex.

There was a reason why I hated this world.

* * *

**The Room: Day 2**

Erwin observed himself in the wall's reflection. This was the place of his predecessor, the place of captivity. The place was white glossed, causing his reflection to always shine back at him no matter where he looked. Even he was wearing a plain white suite. In a way, Erwin did not like the white. It made his dark hair stand out like a target to be shot. Frowning, he shook his head. Why couldn't he have blonde hair like-

"Yo, Winny!" He groaned as another man slid his hand around his shoulders. He also wore white, but his hair was light and beautiful. It made his own glasses seem dashing and fashionable, not the practical and intelligent like his.

Erwin lightly pushed him away, saying, "Would you stop it, Bud? You know how much I don't like hugs."

Bud laughed. "If I were you, I would be getting as many hugs as I could," he said, straddling his legs. "After the way you screwed up, Hima-pops is going to kill you."

He frowned. Oh yes, his mistake. In all defense, the girl was not in the emotional crisis he needed her to be. The girl seemingly had a grasp on the situation. If he had offered her the same exact contract he handed the boy, her senses would have figured out the scam. But the boy- her brother –was crumbling at the touch. He was the only one who would have signed it. Surly, his boss would understand that, right?

"Did you check up on Liechtenstein?" The dark haired one asked. His eyes drifted to the single exit: a white door with a closed window. He knew that on the other side of the door was a dark, black void. And somewhere in that void was the delicate Liechtenstein- waiting and praying for her possessor to do right.

He watched as Bud waved his hand and sat in the room's only piece of furniture: a white chair. "She's quietly waiting like always," he reported. "Not a single fuss."

Erwin sighed and let himself smile. "That's good."

Bud jokingly held his arms out and gave him a disgusted look. "I can't believe you, Winny! After all this time you still don't trust your own brother?"

He smacked his forehead. This man, this man. "We are not brothers!" He snapped.

"Yes we are." The light haired man held up a finger and told him, "We were made by the same man at the same time. So technically, Hima-pops is our daddy and we are brothers. I'm the older one since he made me first."

"What are you two talking about?"

Bud smiled broadly and jumped to his feet. "Hima-pops!" He all but squealed, running straight up to the man. Erwin enviously watched as Bud wrapped his arms around the small, but sturdy man. He and Bud looked the similar with the same glasses and light hair. But Himaruya held himself like Erwin- professional and great. No nonsense was to be done around him.

Himaruya pressed his lips and gently pulled his child off, saying, "Bud, how many times do I have to tell you: you may call me either Hidekaz or Himaruya. Not Hima-pops."

Bud pouted. He whined, "But you're my dad!"

"Yes and you and Erwin are my children." Bud shot said man a triumphant look. That was not going to be the last time Erwin would hear of this. "But there are more pressing matters we must deal with," Himaruya announced, clapping his hands. Bud immediately scrambled to his brother's side.

They both stood erect like soldiers as Himaruya paced in front of them. His hands were casually at his side and his lips were in a tight, serious frown as he said, "As we all know, the original plan was to bring the girl here," he said. "But-" He shot Erwin a glare. "-someone brought the wrong person."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something- anything -but no words came. Disappointing Himaruya was the worst thing imaginable to Erwin. The only thing he craved in life was to bring his creator happiness. Happiness meant making a contract with the girl, not the boy. He had failed him completely.

Thus, Erwin lowered his head. "I am sorry, Himaruya. Punish me anyway you like."

Himaruya paused directly in front of him. Erwin tensed, fearing a blow to the head or neck. But then a small chuckle drifted throughout the room. Needless to say, he was very surprised when Himaruya merely placed a hand on his head. "I understand why you made your decision," he told him easily. "In your place, I would have done the exact same thing."

Erwin grimaced. "Will there be any complications?"

"Besides that I am not familiar with the boy and his reactions, no." Erwin frowned. "But let it be known that we are not going to underestimate him. The last time I did-" Himaruya placed a hand on his neck. "-It did not end cleanly."

"Have no worry, Hima-pops!" Bud proclaimed, placing his hands victoriously on his hips. "Erwin and I will make sure that this punk will not get away."

Himaruya looked annoyed. It was clear that he wanted to scold him for being so boisterous, but he contained himself. Instead, he stepped in front of him and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "The majority of the pressure is on you, Bud," he said solemnly. "You have to make sure that Alfred keeps that boy in check. Keep him entertained so that everything will fall according to the plan. Understand?"

Bud mimicked his mood and nodded.

Himaruya let a small smile slip. "I am very proud of you both," he said. "I hope that you two will continue to do good." He turned his backs to them and walked away. "We will meet again soon." Erwin watched his back as he disappeared, most likely returning to his vessel.

Erwin placed a hand on his chest. Even if this all rested on Bud, he still had a lot of work to do. He had to make sure that Himaruya was happy because Himaruya's happiness meant his own. Himaruya was Erwin's world, his everything. Even so, he knew that no matter how much he may crave it, he could never always be at his side the way he dreamed.

As a sign of his affection, Erwin will ensure Himaruya's life and happiness- even at the cost of his own.

* * *

**MW: **Well guys, I told you that I was going to put more humor into this.

**SEK: **I can't get over Sokka.

**BFTL: **And I can't get over the corset scene.

**MW: **And I can't get over the fact that I'm only two chapters in. Frack, I gotta pick up the pace. Anyways, thank you for reading!

**FunFacts**

"His lack of melanocytes" For those who don't get science, albinos are lacking in melanocytes which means that they are pale and less protected from the sun. That's why Prussia is covering up and his cheeks are burned.

"_The Romanov" _The royal family of Russia.

"Sokka" A character from _Avatar : The Last Airbender, _aka: Larry's favorite show.

**Next Chapter: **As Larry tries to deal with the trauma of incest, the meaning of war suddenly becomes clear.

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Blood and Lemons

**SEK: **Please tell me that you have some amazing joke to go into this AN

**MW: **Well I know I did.

**SEK: **Wolf. . .

**MW: **I guess that I'll just talk about my life right now! Um. . . there are clouds. My closet is a mess. Um I posted a quote from chapter 4 of this on my tumblr last night. Um I also had to consult a friend about fairytales for her RP.

**SEK: **Right. . . well everyone thank you for reviewing. And since Wolf is experimenting with different AN layouts (research), we're going to be doing something a little different.

**BFTL: **Yup, this time we're going to list the names of people who reviewed. So thanks to Adeline Kirkland-Australia, FrostyTheBookLover, Flyingmintbunny32, Ayumi Kudou, ChihayatheBlackAngel, Heinous966, Hammsters, Sarpndo, Fortune Maiden, CartoonFan135, and dismallyOriented.

**MW**: Which reminds me. DismallyOriented, I can't tell you much about what is going to happen, but a lot of your questions will be answered. Also, never apologize for long reviews. Those are the best.

**Chapter Summary: **After a particular adventure with lemons, a battle strikes.

**Warnings: **Strong language, sexual themes, homophobia, yaoi, violence, and blood.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing about the Fanseries concept.

* * *

**~Chapter 3~**

**Blood and Lemons**

"_Reality is determined not by what scientists or anyone else says or believes but by what the evidence reveals to us."_

_-_**Alan Hale, American Movie Actor and Director **

* * *

**THE WAR: DAY 5**

"It's been three days- I can't believe you are still upset about it," Alfred said as he watched me as take another upset bite of my lemon. Sitting on a crate in the storage room, I whimpered at the sour taste and took another bite. Although it was small and humid, the room was the only place where we could have a fair amount of peace. Everywhere else there was always someone trying to talk to me, get into my pants, or both. Freaking perverts. The only thing preventing me from ripping my own hair out was the fact that this is all just a dream and soon I was going to wake up.

Sitting on his own crate, Alfred took a mindless bite from his own lemon. I wanted to eat meat like a real man, but the ships cook, Ukraine (I'm sorry, but my ex-girlfriend was an exchange student from Ukraine. Call me racist, but I am not going to call that woman something that reminds me about that bitch. Eh, I'll think of a nickname or something), told me that I had to wait for dinner. I was then going to skin Sokka and eat his meat, but the Netherlands over heard me and confiscated the cat "until I stopped vagina-bleeding".

Remind me to forever call periods that.

"How can I not be upset?" I dryly sobbed. Not a second later, I winced from the juices seeming through the bandages on my hands and attacking the open skin of my blisters. I couldn't wait for those to heal- it was hell having to deal with constantly aching hands. Heck, I couldn't even write unless I was into self-inflicted pain. "I saw them, together. Having sex!" I snapped. "They're brother and sister! That's sick!"

All he could do was sigh again. "You know Larry, you seem like the kind of punk who would have an incestuous lover," he said, flickering away his finished peel. Casually, he reached into the crate behind him and took out another lemon. "Why dontcha have another? Don't want to get scurvy now, do ya?"

"I would rather be scurvy than have to live with these freaks!" I threw my finished peel against the wood door. "Do you even understand the crap I've gone through so far?"

Alfred, with his mouth full, nodded excitedly. "Mump! Moo Mah M'oo-" A loud choking sound echoed up his throat. Gagging, he banged his fist against his chest and spat out the chewed up yellow pieces.

I didn't even blink. I simply rolled my eyes and answered myself. "In three days, I've had about twenty attempted seductions, thirty knives thrown at me, witnessed one sex scene, gave Prussia three surprised erections, and had to learn how to pee sitting!" I kicked my foot against the nearest crate. "The worst part is the fact that even after all this bull, I still have no idea who this Gilbert guy is!"

"Well I don't think it's all that bad," my mentor huffed, adjusting his glasses. "I think that everyone here is kind of fun. Especially Denmark. Dude, that guy is awesome."

My look turned condescending. "That's because you're an idiot."

He suddenly snapped his fingers and pointed at me. "What about Belarus?" he asked. "I know that you're a girl now and shit, but deep down you're a guy and you have to admit that she has a nice rack."

My visage was only reinforced. "This is the 17th century," I said. "Do you guys even use that word?"

"You're avoiding the question, Lar."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine then. She's a freak. Her brother is even freakier. I wish that those two can go off to a ditch somewhere and just die."

Alfred's immortal smiled faltered and morphed into a frown. "You shouldn't say things like that," he gently scolded. I glared at him. Wow, for a guy who was supposed to be my moral support and leverage, he was acting too nice. If I was him, I would be hanging myself by the neck off a twenty story building until I was terrified to disobey him.

"_Did I really just think that?" _I wondered, glaring up at my eyebrows. "_What the heck, brain?" _Before I could even think of there was a light scratching on the door, followed by a loud meow. It looked as though the Netherlands had finally released my cat.

"Oh, you poor thing!" A woman cooed. "Here, let me open the door for you." We froze and exchanged a look. Yesterday when Turkey's passes became too much, I threw my beef stew at his face. F-cups (You like Ukraine's nickname?) rewarded me by slapping my wrists with a wooden spoon. It would not be a good idea to cross her again.

Sensing the future pain, Alfred jumped from his spot and started gathering the old peels off the ground. He threw them back into the lemon crate, which I closed a millisecond before the door was opened. Sokka's paws patted the ground as it briskly jumped onto my lap.

Smiling warmly, I ran a hand down its back, saying, "Sorry for leaving you outside, pal."

"Alfred, Lichtenstein: what are you two doing in here?" We went rigid. F-Cups stood at the door with her hands on her hips and a parental look of disappointment on her face. Her cropped, blonde hair only emphasized her narrowed eyes.

Alfred- even though he was the densest idiot I knew -could tell that he was in trouble. Politely, he coughed into his fist and straightened his brown vest. "Have no fear, Ukraine. She and I were just talking."

Her look turned to me. "In here?"

I shrugged. "This is the most private place around," I told her, a hand lingering on Sokka. "Everywhere else all of those perverts are trying to get a glimpse of my tits."

F-Cups have me a pitiful smile. Pitiful, but understanding. Her eyes looked down at her chest before up at mind. "Honey, you have it easy," she said, kneeling at my feet and gently taking my hand in hers. "If we took away that ribbon, you and Switzerland would look like mirror images of each other. Believe me, you are the lucky one."

I frowned. "What makes you say that?"

She sighed. "Look at me-" She groped her chest for emphasis. "-my bosom is bigger than my head," she explained. "People are either intimidated or attracted to them." F-Cups motioned to Alfred. "Like our little human friend here." I looked at the blonde and saw that his light blue eyes were aimed directly at her boobs. I didn't blame him; every single movement, no matter how small, made them bounce happily. My inner male wanted to gawk at them all day, but the thought of Stella kept my eyes true. Would she like it if I was picking up a crazy woman with f-cups while she was in a hospital dying?

When he ignored her, F-Cups pressed her lips together and stood. Muttering an "oh crap", I inched away as she marched straight up to the boy and grabbed his ear. Alfred yelped in pain as she pulled it as far away from his body as possible. "What the hell, Ukraine?" He yelled, swearing and pounding his fist in pain. "Would you fucking stop it?"

"You men are all the same," she declared, huffing under her breath. "I do nothing, yet you insist on always staring at my chest."

Alfred's eyes pleaded for me to stop her and save his dying ear. I considered for a moment of just letting her continue her punishment, but he would probably become more annoying with a disability. If he couldn't hear anymore, I bet he would be speaking even louder than he already did.

Taking Sokka into my arms, I slid off the crate and approached F-Cups. Playing the cute and innocent girl, I childishly tugged on her shirt sleeve, saying, "Miss Ukraine, can you please forgive Mr. Jones? I'm sure that he didn't mean it. Is that right, Alfred?"

The boy fiercely nodded, practically crying, "Oh yes! Yes, yes, yes! I am extremely sorry for staring at your boobs! It wouldn't happen again, Ma'me. You can count on me! My old man once told me . . ." At that point, the two of us just stopped listening.

F-Cups sighed and released him. "I'm sorry I lost my temper," she said kindly, wiping a finger under her eyes. Oh crap, was she silently weeping? That was just fantastic- I'm a guy and guys can never help but to feel panicked when they see a woman cry. "I really hope I didn't hurt your feelings, Alfred."

His ranted ended. I took a breath of relief.

Then, another one started.

"Aw, don't cry, Ukraine! I was being a jerk ass and completely deserved it!" He practically yelled, patting her back in comfort. "And besides, you cannot hurt the hero's feelings! We heroes are built to be solid and strong and unbreakable. We do not feel anything but the pride of prevailing justice and freedom!"

A small, bitter chuckle sang from F-Cups' mouth. "You sound just like a liberal."

Sokka meowed, stretching out his back before finding another comfortable spot on my lap. I took it as his sign to speak up and return to the conversation. "I'm sorry if I sound naive or something, but I still don't understand why big boobs are such a big problem," I said. "Yeah, guys always stare at your chest and stuff, but that's because it is a desirable trait."

The woman looked down sadly and seemed ready to cry again. I didn't get it- how can one woman be so strict, yet such a cry baby? Running her fingers through her short hair, F-Cups held back her emotions long enough to say, "It's bad when that is your only attractive quality."

I knitted my eyebrows together. "What do you-"

"You!" For those wondering, that was my death wish calling. Grumbling, I glared up at the ceiling. It sounded as though Belarus had some reason to point her blades of death at me. A small wave of fear flushed over me, but I ignored it. I knew that as long as that woman kept her knives away from me, I could handle this easily. The problem was that she took whatever opportunity she could to wave them at my face.

F-Cups looked up as well, a small look of confusion on her face. "You?" She repeated, still sniffling. "Why is my sister calling you that?"

Taking Sokka into my hands, I shrugged. "No idea, ask her."

She laughed. "It's such a cute pet name," she said. "I guess she really does have an attraction for you."

"I'm not a lesbo!" I all but yelled. With the cat held tightly to my chest, I angrily stomped out, muttering about the stupidity of fags. Frack, I am a straight. What will it take for these punks to realize that I do not want to have gay sex with any of them. Heck, I had no idea what was straight or what was gay anymore. I was a guy and a girl at the same time. "_Stella should be happy- I can't have straight sex with anyone here now." _

I hadn't even realized that my feet were taking me onto the deck until I felt the warm sun on my pale skin. I took the moment to just stand there, eyes closed, Sokka at my boson, feeling the heat. It felt as though I was starting to wake up: the feeling of the real world slowly seeping into this dream one.

Then Belarus had to be a broad and ruin it.

"What the hell, Liechtenstein!" A second later, Belarus had me by the collar, lifting me a full inch off the ground. Squeaking, I dropped Sokka and raised my hands in the universal sign of "don't kill me". At least her knives were still hidden. That was good. Shaking me, Belarus's upper lip curled as she yelled, "I have been looking for you for the past ten minutes. How the hell do you think that is acceptable? If you want to be able to walk around freely, you have to pick up work. Got it, doitsu?"

I scowled, remembering the sight of her and Russia in bed. I shuddered at the very thought of both of them doing such a disgusting, hideous, sinful act. I hope they freeze in hell for it. And I don't mean Hell, Norway. Glaring, I fiercely yanked her hand off of me.

Apparently, that was a deadly move since the crew stopped whatever they were doing to chorus a collective 'ooooh'. The first mate stared at me with disbelief, as if she could hardly believe that I would dare to cross her. I paid none of them any heed and rightfully snapped, "If you want me to do any work then you have to start treating me with respect. I'm not your slave."

Belarus looked ready to strangle me, but my words had hit her. Instead, her arms shook with need and want to kill me. I watched them, waiting for them to reach under her dress and pull out her knife. "You may not be my slave, but I am your superior and my words are law," she growled. She harshly grabbed my arm, stuck a mop into my hands, and shoved me towards the bow. "Now go mop the deck, bitch."

I grimaced. "So it's no longer 'You'?"

She struck me. Gasping, I felt the inside of my mouth begin to bleed. The bitter iron taste made me sick. At least it distracted me from the pain buzzing in my head. "Next time, it's going to be a blade," the blonde warned. She again shoved me a few feet, ordering, "Now get to work."

For a minute, I stood there and massaged my face. Jesus Christ, the hurt enough for it to be real. I might have been a little angrier at her if it was, but I knew that I was in the hospital still. I was right next to Sherry, waiting with her and Bella for Stella. I frowned. How was my brat of a sister doing? Could she really be alright- especially with those dreams she'd been having? What if that strength I saw her have was just an act for me to feel safe? Or what if that strength came from what caused those dreams?

If only I knew . . .

"_It's a little bit too quiet," _I realized. I looked up and saw that the entire crew was staring at me. Were they shocked? Why? I did nothing special. Was it my injury? It had to be- Belarus wasn't all that scary. I sighed and released my cheek. It still stung, but I could live with it for now. "What are you guys looking at?" I demanded. I smoothed out the shirt of my blue dress and readjusted the cuffs of the sleeves. "I'm a tough girl, I can take a hit."

Their stares continued until Belarus screamed again for everyone to go back to work. A song of muttering gathered in the air around me. I heard bits and pieces, mostly just realizations that I really was Switzerland's sister. It served them right- just because I looked innocent didn't mean that I had to be.

Or so said the eleven year old yaoi fangirl.

"Why is everyone here so dense?" I muttered under my breath as I took my mop got to work.

Even though _The Romanov _looked like every other stereotypical pirate ship, I still had to admit that it was gorgeous. The tall masts extended high into the air and kissed the crisp blue sky. The sails were like clouds and the ropes that extended from them were a forest. The deck that I mopped was a dark mahogany. It shined under the sunlight, making me smile with comfort. Stella's hair did the exact same thing . . .

"That was really gutty of you." Raising an eyebrow, I looked up and saw that the Netherlands was working a few feet away from me. He was perched on the rails leaning over the soft waves, hands retying the ropes. His long legs were bent, the knobs of his knees sticking out like a spider's. He said, "Not a lot of people can stand up to her."

I huffed and rolled my eyes, saying, "Please, she is nothing more than just a bitter old whore."

"If you keep on holding your mop that tightly, you're going to reopen your blisters," he said digressively. Scowling, I slowly released the pressure on the handle. The pain I didn't know I had disappeared. "But as I was saying: Liechtenstein, you sound really bitter. Did your one night stand with her not go too well or something?"

I never had such a strong urge to hit someone with a mop before in my life. "How could I _ever _have sex with that woman?" I demanded as a vein throbbed at my temple. "She's a psychopathic whore! Did you know that she had sex with her brother, hm? Do you understand how gross that is?"

The Netherlands absently scratched his chin, saying, "Wow, Liech. You make it sound as though you've never heard about their relationship before."

The sound that left my mouth was not human. In fact, no being on this planet could have replicated it. I let the mop fall out of my hands and land with a thud on the ground. Slowly but steadily, it started to process in my head. Heard of it . . . "Wait, so are you telling me that everyone on this Godforsaken ship knew that they are a couple?" I shrieked.

The blond gave me a weird look before nodding. "Yeah. Did Switzerland keep you under a rock or something? Everyone knows that."

I rapidly blinked. He had to be kidding me. He _better _be kidding me if he knew what was good for him. They all had to be joking if they wanted to live. "So you're saying that everyone here is okay with incest?"

"Basically. Aren't you?"

For a moment, I stood there in complete silence. If I thought that this place was bad at first, then this revelation has turned it into a cruel hell. _"What the hell brain?" _I demanded, staring at the Netherlands. "_The one time I have a continuous, lucid dream and you keep on throwing fracking curve balls at me! No wonder no one likes-"_

I would have stayed in my little corner of shock forever if there wasn't a sudden pain in my bottom. Yelping, I grabbed my butt and jumped a few feet away.I turned. Turkey stood behind me, hand still poised in pinching position. Oh no he didn't. "Why the heck did you do that?" I yelled, venting all of my anger- old and new -at his stupid face.

Turkey smiled in his usual manner of cockiness, saying, "Well Liechtenstein, you have a nice ass and I couldn't help myself."

"Leave her alone, Turkey," the Netherlands demanded. He slid to the ground and stood an equal distance away. His legs were straddled and both of the men's glares reminded me of that of a cowboy western showdown. All that was missing were a pair of pistols and movie music.

Well, Turkey did have his swords, but that's beside the point.

Turkey faked a pout and batted his eyes at the Dutchmen. "Aw, poor little low lands. Are you still bitter over our last night together?"

My jaw fell to the floor and shattered to a million pieces. "You two had sex?" I asked. My stomach jumped for my throat and I slapped a hand over my mouth. No Larry, you are not going to barf all over the crew. Only weak men do that and you are not weak.

Dad would not want me to be.

The Netherlands nodded. "Yeah, a special romantic encounter with Mr. I-Only-Fuck-A-Person-Once." He looked ready to barf as a shiver ran up his spine. "Worse night of my life."

"You didn't say that when your pants were off," Turkey remarked casually. "In fact, you were screaming my name-"

Oh my God. This was disgusting. How can Sherry or anyone else for that matter take pleasure in this? Ugh- they are two disgustingly gay men! There was nothing 'romantic' or 'kawaii' about this. More than anything, I wanted to be Oedipus and gouge my eyes out with the pin of a broche. Hastily, I placed my hands over my ears and yelled, "I am not listening to any of this crap!" I was ignored.

"Piss off now, Turkey," The Netherlands snapped, brushing him away. The guy had enough courtesy to grab my arm and usher me farther away from him. "You can go take your moves to someone who's available."

Turkey frowned, saying, "First off, it's _the _Ottoman Empire to you. Not Turkey. Second off-" Faster than the speed of light, he slithered over to us. He stood so close to the Dutchman that their chests were pressing together. "-We can always do it again," he offered, smirking suggestively. He took his chin between his fingers and forced him to look him in the eye. "After all, the first time technically wasn't a fuck since I never took my pants off."

I had enough.

After spending a few days on this stupid boat, there were a few things that I learned pretty quickly. Russia did not like having anyone in his room, Alfred never shut up, Demark had to duck in order to walk around below deck, and Switzerland would come to his little sister's rescue whether she wanted it or not.

At that moment, I wanted it.

Rolling my eyes, I cupped my hands over my mouth and screamed, "Big brother!" The reaction was immediate.

Anyone on deck who had sense made sure that they were a good distance away from me before the blond man came running from below deck. His shirt was dirty with the grease of the cannons, but he did not seem to mind. Growling, he did not ask questions, only fired his gun at Turkey.

The pervert smartly jerked his head to the side before his brains were blasted. "Hey Switzy!" He greeted, pretending that he was not in trouble. "How are-"

Switzerland holstered his gun before grabbing both Turkey's and the Netherland's collars. He glared darkly at them as he pulled their faces closer to his. "What were you doitsus doing to my little sister?" he growled. I had the sudden need to call 911 and ask them to come by and pick up the bodies.

My attention, however, was stolen by the next idiot that wanted to talk to me. "Hey Liechtenstein!" I heard Prussia yell as he strutted to me with his hands hiding behind his back. My eyes shot to his junk and I was relieved to see that there was no tent. Reaching me, the albino jumped up and down like a little child, saying, "Hey Liech! Guess what! Guess what?"

I gave him a condescending look, thinking about the headache that was sure to come. "What is it, Prussia?"

There comes a moment in every man's- woman's -life where they realize how endlessly stupid a person can be. Often times it's just a brief flickering of a light switch. It was a small action, but enough to illuminate one with knowledge. This, however, felt as though someone had taken a book labeled 'stupidity' and slammed it right into my face. I say all of this because Prussia took out from behind his back two tea cups. They were white porcelain, rather normal and stereotypical British looking. Nothing special.

Then I noticed the piece of leather holding them together.

My mouth opened, but I wasn't sure what to say. For the first whole minute, I did nothing but open and close it, waiting for something to say. It wasn't until Sokka started to lightly paw Prussia's leg did I remember how to articulate. "Um, what the heck is that?" I demanded.

Prussia smiled, his pale cheeks already burning under the warm sun. I wanted to tell him to avoid cancer and go back into the shade, but his stupidity decided to backhand me. "After our little talk the other day, I decided that I needed to invent a bra. And-" He held the cups out to me again. "Here it is! Isn't it awesome?"

My hand raised itself. It lingered in the air for a moment before smacking my face. Oh Lord, why must you punish me this way? Prussia's eyebrows pressed together and he asked, "What's wrong, Liech? Don't you like them?"

I shook my head. "Prussia, that's not a bra."

"Yes it is! You told me that a bra is cups that hold a woman's breasts in place." He held the monstrosity out to me. "And look! I got the best cups I could find! They're porcelain and feel really nice against the skin. How is this not a bra?"

My head wouldn't stop shaking. "No, it's not. Now go put it away before Belarus finds you."

"Can't you at least try it on first?" He asked. His thin lips bundled together into a pout and his red eyes gleamed with unshed tears. Aw, that's kind of cute . . . "Please? They're just your size." And there goes the cuteness.

Shifting on my feet, I sighed and ran my hand down my face. Keep cool, Larry. You deal with hate anons every day for not liking Hetalia. You can deal with this the same way you deal with them: distant grace. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Prussia, I really admire you and your concern for my chest, but that is not a-"

A roar pierce the air.

_The Romanov _shook with impact and it rocked fiercely from side to side. All the crew immediately braced themselves on either the mast or the rails. All who failed to fell to the ground and rolled across the deck. Among the cries of the shocked crew, I faintly registered that Switzerland, Turkey, and the Netherlands had fallen into each other and were sliding across the deck. However, I was not given time to worry about them. Prussia swiftly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and grabbed onto the railing. I closed my eyes and did the earthquake-drill-style couch. My hand over my neck, I had to realize that after years of practicing this over and over again in school, it's become muscle memory.

For what felt like an eternity, the ship swayed dangerously. I felt my stomach rise and fall until I was seasick. The second the rocking was down to a point where we could stand safely, Russia burst through his cabin door. His brown coat whipped around him angrily as he stormed to the bow. "Everyone up!" He ordered, stepping over the fallen crew. "This is nothing compared to the work of Ivan the Terrible."

Prussia groaned and dragged us to our feet. Many others were doing the same- Alfred was supporting Ukraine on his shoulder as they walked up the steps and onto deck. The only subordinate who seemed ready to jump to action was Belarus. She merely brushed herself off and made her way to her brother's side. "What happened Russia?" She asked, reaching under her skirt to take out her daggers. They both looked over the side of the ship and cursed. What were they looking at?

Trying my best to ignore my growing fear of knives, I nudged Prussia. "Let's go over there," I said, starting to drag him with me.

He hesitated. "First, are you okay, Liech?" He asked, supporting his aching head with his hand. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Let's-"

Alfred had made it to the side before we did. "Holy shit! That is one big hole!" He exclaimed, half of his body hanging over the edge. "That must have destroyed the entire cannon room!"

Russia crinkled his nose. Turning back to the crew, his eyes scanned over all of us. "Comrades, this was an advance military tactic. The Red Coats are looking for a way to disarm us before attacking."

Turley groaned. "We already know that!" He yelled, lifting himself to his feet. In his arms, he safely held an absolutely terrified Sokka. "We've fought in plenty of wars too, jackass." Ignoring the Russian's irritated aura, he marched over, saying, "If anything, all of us can already tell you that England- here's your cat, Liech -that England used his magic to make his ship invisible. All of us can already tell you that they're probably waiting for the right moment to attack and not only do we have to fight them off, but we also got to make sure no water comes in through the hole or else we'll sink."

"Hold your tongue, Turkey," Russia ordered evenly. "You forget that even though England has magic on his side, I have General Winter. We'll freeze the hole."

Stupidly, Alfred raised his hand high into the air. "Wouldn't it melt?"

Switzerland shook his head as he stretched his back. "He'll have to just refreeze every time it happens."

I looked between all of the men, confused. Okay, so Russia can make things freeze? What is he, a water bender? I thought that this dream world was only going to include Hetalia crap. "_My dreams are on crack," _I decided, looking up in the air. My gaze met the eyes of the man in the crow nest- a stoic Asian called Hong Kong. He nodded to me before concentrating back on the open sea.

Russia flicked the sides of his coat, saying, "I'm going to go below deck and fix it right now. In the meantime, I would like for you comrades to prepare yourselves for battle."

"You heard the man!" Belarus echoed, her glance sharper than her knives. "Arm yourselves!"

The crew sprang to life. Ignoring their aches and pains, everyone rushed to grab their weapons. Switzerland quickly reloaded his guns and started packing up on ammo. Turkey put his white mask back on and unsheathed his swords. As I stared, the Netherlands stole a quick glance at his pocket watch before going off to find his own gun. Prussia gently released me, told me to stay put, be safe, and ran off to find a sword. I was alone, left only to stand awkwardly.

I had no idea how to fight. Yeah, I got into fist fights and wrestled with the other boys, but those were just fun and jokes. These idiots call this THE WAR for a reason! They were grabbing weapons for real bloodshed- something I was not prepared for. If I knew one thing, it was that I was doomed to die if I did not figure something out quickly.

I ran as fast as I could to Alfred. My mentor, unarmed and not looking to change that, frowned with worry when I grabbed his shoulders. I was breathing heavily and my gaze continued to glance over at the ocean. Apparently, the man in the red coat I saw long ago was waiting for us. I barely noticed Alfred's hands cup my shoulders. "What's wrong, Larry?" He softly asked. "Why are you so scared?"

I did my best to growl. "I'm not scared!" I immediately snapped. "I'm strong, therefore I don't get scared."

He rolled his eyes, huffing, "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

"Alfred!"

He grimaced. "Fine." He took a step back and did a quick, fake bow. Mimicking a formal butler, he asked, "Excuse me, Madame Liechtenstein. What worries m'lady so?"

I never had such an intense desire to hit someone before in my life. Not when Mike and Bryan didn't make 'Tokka' cannon. I wasn't even half this angry when Sherry would tease me for watching _Avatar. _I clenched my fists, grinded my teeth together and prayed for the strength for be the bigger person and not hit the jerk. "We're going to war," I growled lowly. "What the heck am I supposed to fight with?"

This was supposed to be the moment where Alfred's ability to help me shined. This was supposed to be the time I would always look back at to remember how much I can depend on him. But that did not happen. Nope- the human only shrugged. "I have no idea," he said, fixing the white band around his arm. "I'm a human and none of the red coats are supposed to hurt me."

I smacked my face, yelling, "Then what the frack am I supposed to do?"

"I wouldn't worry if I were you," he told me. "You're on the red coat's team, so they would free you and take you back to their side with the least amount of da-" Every time I looked back at that moment, I would think about how strange magic made that world. Alfred and I were supposed to be having an argument alone. Yet, there was a pirate ship right behind us. We just didn't know it until the invisibility spell was lifted.

But the second it was, everything changed.

One instant, I was standing on my feet. The next, there was a loud roar in my ear as the pirates on the other ship swung over on hanging ropes. Alfred pushed me aside before standing in front of me as a barrier. Like monkey on vines, the Red Coats came swinging down, armed with their weapons. They were the same odd band of misfits that Russia's crew- the Brown Coats -were. The only thing binding them together as a single, armed force was the red band around their arm. A band like mine.

In the long run, I should have looked away before things grew worse. I should have closed my eyes and imagined myself back home. But I refused; closing my eyes meant submitting to fear. And I was not scared- it was all a bad dream and the strong were not frightened by nightmares.

But things only continued to grow worse. Swords were bare and clashing against other blades. Guns were hastily aimed and fired. Weapons from one side of the world struck ones from the other. But that was all part of the bigger picture: A mixture of fighters grunting and sweating and bleeding.

I unconsciously grabbed Alfred's arm and squeezed it tightly. There was man in the red coat I saw days ago- someone Alfred had told me was called England. He was armed with a long, thin sword and was fighting a pipe-armed Russia. They were going fiercely at each other with no stop.

That is, until Russia was stabbed.

My head spun. True, it was not in a dangerous spot. The sword had embedded itself into the captain's upper arm, but it was still gruesome. I had a moment to feel sick before having to lean over the rail and barf. So much blood. There was more blood in that wound then from when Jerry almost cut my thumb off.

"_Maybe this is real," _I thought, coughing up the remains of my partially digested meal of lemons. After all, how realistic could that blood be? I quickly shook the thought out of my head. "_No. This is just a dream. If this was real-"_

"Alfred!" I slowly turned back to the battle to see Belarus storming towards us. Her skirt was speckled with droplets of blood and a long cut ran down the length of her cheek. She towed behind her Denmark. He did not look happy to be away from the fight and to be dragged by the ear. Sending us a death glare, she ordered, "You and Liechtenstein are to follow me. _Now."_

We exchanged a look.

Neither of us had the guts to argue.

Alfred casually picked me up bridal style and followed after her. I would have argued, but it felt as though my stomach still wanted me to purge myself of all food. Plus, my head was still dizzy from the image of Russia and England's fight.

The blood . . .

Belarus took the three of us below deck. She never looked back to see if we were still there, but she didn't have to. The woman knew how freakishly scary she was and she was using it to her advantage.

"Where are we going?" Alfred asked, quickly bending down to let Sokka jump back into my arms. The feeling of the brown and white fur against my skin made my nerves calm just a bit. I felt just enough better to be concern myself- especially after she did not answer.

Belarus plowed through the dark halls of the ship until we came upon a familiar room. "The cells?" Denmark questioned as she threw the door open and dragged him into the room. He yelped as his ear continued to be pulled to the size of Dumbo's.

I looked around, recognizing the jail I woke up in. Oh great, what was I doing in here? Eat the rat poop? Goodness knows that there is a pungent enough smell for it. Brutally, Belarus yanked a cell door open and threw him inside, saying, "Yes, the prison room. Both you and Liechtenstein are Red Coats. Therefore-" She glared at Alfred before taking me out of his hands and into hers. She easily carried me into the call as if I was lighter than paper. "Both of you are prime targets for recapture, escape, and betrayal." She placed me on the ground next to the Dane.

In a business-like manner, she walked out and closed the door behind her. "So you two are going to stay in here until the fight is over," she told us. The cut on her face continued to bleed as she locked the door and pocketed the keys. I breathed a sigh of relief. This was good- I was safe in here and no one was going to harm me. The Red Coats were not going to get to me.

Not that I was starting to like these stupid fags or anything, it was just that I did not want to have to be separated from Alfred. He was the only person around who knew about Erwin and Gilbert and I did not want to lose him.

Belarus jabbed a finger at said man's face. She ordered, "Alfred, I want you to stay here and make sure that no shitty Red Coat comes by and tries to take them."

As he gave an agreement, Denmark scowled. "We're not shitty!" he objected, but it was already too late. Belarus turned on her heels- her skirt fluttering around her- and ran out. The door closed softly behind her and we blondes were left alone.

Groaning, Denmark rolled his eyes and fell back against the wall. "This suck!" He declared, running his hands down his face and through his hair. "What the hell are we supposed to do now? I want to fight!"

I rolled my eyes and folded my hands over my chest. "Well be happy that we're away and safe from all that crap," I huffed angrily. Geezes, some people need to learn to appreciate the good things in life.

Alfred happily nodded, saying, "Yeah, bro! Why dontcha take advantage of the situation and relax."

Denmark raised an eyebrow. "Take advantage?" Alfred and I nodded. I started regretting that decision the second Denmark's mouth formed a sly smirk. It didn't leave when he suddenly slid a hand around my waist or when he pulled me close to his side.

My chastity alarms blared loudly in my ears. "W-what are doing?" I demanded, trying to push him away. His smirk only deepened. "Alfred!"

I had never heard anything so satisfying as when Alfred fiercely banged his fist against the iron bars. "Knock it off, Denmark," he ordered, voice reaching a new low. His sparkling blue eyes were even drawn to a dealer glint. That put me off- I have never seen him act so fierce. "She obviously doesn't want it."

He shrugged. "But you said to take advantage of the situation and I am. I have a cute girl in here and I am not about to let the opportunity for some fun slip."

I have a tendency to say the first thing that comes to my mind. More often than not, it's rude and it gets me into a lot of trouble. But this time, it did good and saved my—Liechtenstein's -virginity. I threw my head back and frustratedly screamed, "I don't get it! Are you perverts gay or straight?"

Alfred and Denmark were silent for a long moment. I looked back and saw that the two blonds staring at me with confusion. "Why would you ask that, Liech?" Alfred asked, scratching his head in confusion. Everything that made him intimidating was gone and replaced with his usual carefree air. "I thought that it was obvious."

I threw my hands up in the air. "Well I must be an idiot because I have no freaking idea!"

Denmark shook his head. "Wow, Switzy sure kept you innocent," he commented lightly. "So obviously, it's our jobs to take that away from you. Every single one of us here- not including human boy there -is bisexual."

I was an idiot. I smacked my forehead, saying, "Oh wow. That _is_ obvious. Why didn't I see that coming?"

"It could be because of that thing Turkey's got going on," Alfred said. It was so cute how he was trying to be helpful. Like a puppy. "Isn't he a bit of a weird case?"

"Yup. After like a hundred or so years of being a completely normal bisexuals like us, he evidently decided that he was only going to fuck a person one time only. The only problem with that was the fact that there's only a limited amount of countries in the world to mess around with. At this point, his sex drive is based on humans." The Dane shivered, adding, "When you think about it, that's really creepy."

I blinked. Creepy? Whoa, whoa, whoa- these people have standers? I mean, I guess they do since Turkey's apparently the only one who's been around the globe (Ha, ha! That was an awesome joke). "Why is that?" I asked.

"We'll most of us are at least a century or two old and humans are super young. It's a little like pedophilia."

I fidgeted in my spot, asking, "What if it was love? Would you object to that?"

Denmark struggled for a moment before hesitantly shrugging. "It all really depends-"

"Ah ha!" The three of us jumped as the door slammed open to reveal a young girl in her early teens. Grinning victorious, she seemed to relish in victory as we watched her strut in. "I knew that I heard something in here!" she exclaimed, wearing black slacks and a blue blouse and wielded a regal rapier in her hands. She looked over us triumphantly as the red ribbons in her hair bounced with eagerness. Okay, what was this little African girl doing here? Oh yeah, there was a red cloth tied around her arm.

Ugh, Red Coats.

Denmark smiled and waved excitedly. "Hey Seychelles!" he called out. "Long time, no see!"

She smiled brightly and waved back. "Papa said that you two would be in here," Seychelles told us excitedly. "I'm going to get you and Liechtenstein out of here and back onto our ship, okay?"

Alfred rolled his neck and took a step forward. "Oh no, not if I can help it," he growled, cracking his knuckles. "I'm the hero and I promised not to let these two get into the enemy's clutches and heroes always keep their promises."

Seychelles rolled her eyes and raised her weapon. "Please, I can beat you easily."

"I'm a human." He tugged on his white band for emphasis. "You can't hurt me."

She took a step forward. "I'm a country," she returned. "What are you going to do about it?"

Alfred's eyes went wide. For a second, I really thought that he was going to let her go. But then he cracked his knuckled and took off his glasses. "Hold these for me," he ordered, sliding them through the bars of my cell. "The hero has some business to attend to."

I lunged forward and caught them before they hit the ground. Looking up at him, I scowled and snapped, "Idiot! Just don't fig-" Denmark wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back onto his lap.

"Don't bother," he said, breath dancing around my ear. Shivers spiked down the length of my spine. "This is a fight for honor." I would have put more effort into stopping Seychelles and Alfred, but the stupid Dane was holding me closer to him than what I would have liked. It was to the point where I could feel his rippling pectorals clearly against my back.

Feeling a little sick, I tried pushing him away. "Let go of me," I grunted. He did the exact opposite and pulled me closer. This time, I smacked his pointy face. His response was to laugh and act as though it didn't hurt. I furrowed my eyebrows, demanding, "Why are you doing this? Don't you have anything else worth doing with your life?"

Denmark flashed a cocky smile. We were both so wrapped up in our- what would you call this? -argument, that we failed to notice that Alfred and Seychelles had started fighting. "You are one of the cutest girls I have ever seen," he told me, placing his face at the crooked of my neck. I seized up, feeling him take a deep breath against my skin. "I don't understand how anyone could resist themselves around you."

I trembled. "Let go of me!" I yelled, smacking his face away. This time, he yelped and I had enough time to scream for Alfred. His bare arms and face were nicked countless times by Seychelles's rapier, but her face had a few black and blue spots from his fists. There were both panting heavily, caught up in the strange dance of thrusts, blood, and sweat.

I felt my heart sank. We came here to avoid the fighting, yet it was happening. What's worse, because of it, I was going to have to fend for myself against Denmark's sudden perversion attack. I didn't even know where that part of him came from. The last I checked, he was the idiot crew member who liked to mess around with Alfred. In the nonsexual way, I mean.

Denmark pulled me back to him. My panic took over my logic. "Alfred!" I screamed. Somewhere in his idiot mind, Denmark thought that it would be a good idea to start nibbling my ear. My whole body seized up. "Oh God! Get off of me!" I tried pushing him away. "Help! Somebody!"

Lo and behold: God finally decided that I had enough and sent someone to save me.

Correction: He sent two people to save us.

"Liech!" Prussia and the Netherlands burst through the door. In a flash, the Netherlands pulled Seychelles away from Alfred and rammed her against the wall while Prussia ran over to our cell to undo the lock. Where he even got the key, I had no idea. At least Denmark had enough brains to push me away from him. Finally.

As the albino fiddled with the keys, the Netherlands pushed Seychelles closer and closer to the wall until she was whimpering in pain. "You little bitch," he sneered, jamming the barrel of his gun under her chin. Even the pipe in his mouth was bouncing angrily. "The rules of THE WAR clearly state that humans are not to be harmed. Does he look fucking unharmed to you, hm?" He painfully rammed her into it again, causing her to cry out. "Hm?"

"I was just doing what was best for my friend!" She cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "I was going to save them and he was in my way!"

I stared at him. There was definitely something off about him. For the few days I have known him, the Dutchman had always been a rather easy guy. Everything about him was with good grace and relaxation. Yet, here he was: tall, hostile, and poised with a gun. His green eyes were narrow and gleamed with something. They looked . . . haunted. There was no doubt about it: there definitely was something more dangerous about him.

Helplessly, Alfred and I watched as the Netherlands rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed her shoulder. With one last shove, he had her peeled off the wood and onto the ground. "Well that doesn't matter now. Brown Coats won and your crew's already left. In the name of Captain Russia, I declare you to be a prisoner of the Brown Coats."

Seychelles's face fell into a look of disbelief. "You're lying!" She yelled, biting her lip. "Papa and England would never leave me here!"

His upper lip curled. "News flash, princess: they did."

She lowered his head and shook it fiercely, saying, "No, no, no! They wouldn't leave me here! They-" A sob escaped and she quickly buried her face in her hands. "They couldn't have."

Alfred sighed and knelt in front of her. Ignoring the evil looks the Netherlands sent him, he rubbed her back, saying, "It's not as bad as it seems, Seychelles. Everyone here is actually really nice." She ignored him and continued crying.

At this point, Prussia had figured out the lock. Banging the door open, he immediately ran inside and bent down to me. "Are you alright?" he asked frantically. His cold hands cupped my cheeks as he searched my face for any misdoings. "Did she try to hurt you? Did he-" He glared at Denmark. "-Do anything funny?"

I was taken back. Okay, so the guy who seemed to be enthralled by the concepts of bras was really concern for mine- Liechtenstein's –well-being? What? Unsure of what to say or how I was even supposed to react, I opened and closed my mouth a few times. I noticed his face. Right there at the roots of his white hair was a vivid red cut. It was small, but it bled more than any of the nicks on Alfred's body. I stared at it, suddenly remembering the stab wound Russia obtained. For some reason, I couldn't rip my eyes away.

Prussia's visage only shone with more concern. Patting my cheeks, he asked, "Hey Liech. Is something . . ." I slowly lifted my hand and placed it on his face- more specifically, the cheek. He froze, too still to even breathe. I slowly moved it up his skin and to the cut. "Liech, what are you-"

"Is this real?" I asked aloud, letting some of the blood cover my fingers. It was as if everything before in the dream was real and I was now in the dream part. It was all too surreal to be real, yet before it was. I drew away from him and brought my fingers closer to my face. I observed the blood carefully, going so far as to rub it between my fingers. What if . . .

"Yeah, it's real," Prussia replied. "Why wouldn't it be?" I was silent. "Liech, are you sure you're okay?"

I brought it to my nose and sniffed. It smelled like real blood. It could be . . .

"I think she finally cracked," Denmark commented dryly.

Maybe . . .

I brought it to my mouth and took a small taste. Memories flashed in my head. I remembered the day Jerry cut my thumb clearly. The minute the knife met my bone, I screamed, ripped my hand away, and stuck my thumb into my mouth. The iron taste of blood filled my sense and made me sick to the stomach.

The same taste and feeling returned when I tasted the stuff on my hand.

Somewhere, deep inside of my mind, I remember asking Sherry why she always wanted to eat something directly after one of her nightmares. "You can't taste anything in dreams, Larry," she had told me, taking a bite of her food. A bite to remind her of reality.

You can't taste anything in dreams . . .

Oh my God- this is real. All of this is real.

My world swayed. Seconds later, I fainted.

* * *

**MW: **We're finally through with the set up chapters! Woot! So how did you darlings like that? I thought that it was pretty good. Yeah. . . um, story time!

**SEK: **(Wow, you really are having trouble coming up with author's notes).

**MW: **So I just started watching BBC Sherlock and I totally love it. Though while I was watching it, my dad was in the room and stated that he didn't like it very much. "It just doesn't give a rightful modern look at the original novels," he had told me.

Instead of taking time to understand his point of view, I immediately thought "I hope you get stuck in Watson's body and you have to solve crimes with Sherlock." So yeah, apparentlythis Fanseries idea could work with other fandoms. I probably wouldn't ever to that, but it's just a funny thought.

**BFTL: **Anyways, we all hope that you all enjoyed.

**Notes**

"If I was him, I would be hanging myself by the neck off a twenty story building.." Has anyone picked up on all of the irony in this story yet?

"Low lands" Basically the literal translation of the Netherlands' name.

"Tokka" Pairing name for Sokka and Toph from _Avatar: the Last Airbender._

_****_**Next Chapter: **Now that everything is real, Larry finally kicks his butt into gear. But first, who's this girl?


	4. She With My Name

**SEK: **So any excuses for the slow update?

**MW: **Umm life sucks? I also have my other story to worry about? The unholy amount of reviews made me faint with gratitude.

**SEK: **The usual. I see.

**MW: **But anyways GUYS! THIS IS A PSA! Are any of you lovely darlings part of the Bleach fandom? If so, then I have the fanfiction for you! The ever beautiful **Anatolica **has published a Bleach-fandom of the Fanseries, entitled "Karma Needs New Glasses". So if anyone here would like to be awesome and read it, you all can find the link in either my profile or favorites list.

**BFTL: **So in a sense, there is a fanfiction for this fanfiction.

**MW: **That wouldn't be the first time that has happened to us . . .

**Chapter Summary: **After Larry meets someone he was totally not expecting, he encounters a few, er, problems.

**Warnings: **Strong language, sexual themes, blood, violence, and yaoi.

**Disclaimer: **if I owned Hetalia, there would be a coherent plot.

* * *

**~Chapter 4~**

**She With My Name **

"_Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."_

_-_**Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister**

* * *

**The Void: Day 5**

I think after all of my praying, God finally decided to save me and get me out of that hell hole. Actually, God wouldn't do that- Jesus would. I always thought that Jesus was a cool guy. I mean, not only did he die for our sins, but he turned water into wine. That's practically screaming "I'm a good religious guy and stuff, but I also like to party." Jesus has always been my favorite.

Then again, I might just not like him as much. Granted, he did take me far away from _The Romanov _and every single pervert on there, but I was now in this world of black. Opening my eyes, I saw an endless black void, stretching out for who knows how long. There was definitely some light in there since I could still see my rough hands and plaid sneakers. If only I knew- wait a second. I wasn't wearing a dress. And I was positive that sneakers are definitely not in that time period.

My heart racing, I took a second look at myself. There were my plaid shorts, brown tee shirt, and black coat. I was wearing this when Sherry and I went to the hospital. Why would Liechtenstein be wearing this? "_Actually, I don't think I'm a girl anymore," I_ corrected, groping my own chest. My boobs were gone. "_Am I . . ." I_ reached up and felt my face. There were my glasses! I quickly ripped them off and held them far from my face (I was far-sighted).

There, in the glass's reflection, was my own face.

"Oh my God!" I gasped, nearly dropping it. One hand went to my pounding chest while the other worked to put the back on. "Oh my God!" Warmth swelled in my chest as a relieved laugh escaped my mouth. "I'm alive!"

Thank you, Jesus! This was great, this was fantastic, this was- hold on. I frowned and stopped my rejoicing. Looking up at the ceiling, I asked, "All right, Jesus: where am I?"

Someone made a small, quiet noise behind me. "Um, excuse me?" I knew that voice. That was my girl voice! Oh no. In a blink of an eye, I jerked around to see the small petite figure of Liechtenstein.

I stared. "Wow. . . " She was pretty- prettier than I remembered her. Her arms and legs were like skinny sticks and her skin was a flawless white. Her hair was cut short and framed her beautiful face perfectly. She was everything a man could ever hope for.

And she looked just like Stella.

True, I would have to change Liechtenstein into a goth Asian, but the resemblance was still there. Everything from how they held themselves to how cute they were. Excuse me- that is not true. Liechtenstein was cute, but Stella was gorgeous. A small pain pierced my chest. In the past few days, how often have I thought about her? Not enough, considering the fact that I was doing all of this to save her, to keep her by my side.

"Excuse me?" I snapped back to reality to see that the blond was still giving me a wide-eyed look, though this time her eyes gleamed with a little impatience. "Are you the guy who's in my body right now?" she asked, taking a small step forward.

My eyes went up and down her body. How odd. She was wearing the pink dress I first woke up in, not the clothes that I borrowed from Hungary. Shaking my head, I held out my hand and smiled, saying, "Yeah. I'm Larry Ebenezer Sue. You're the girl whose body I've been possessing, right?"

She smiled wryly. "Are you always this charming?" she asked through the holes of her teeth.

I raised an eyebrow. Me, charming? Since when? I couldn't even ask the girl of my dreams out on a date! And I've known her for nearly six years! "Maybe you're just easy to please," I said. I immediately knew that it was the wrong thing to even think when she scowled. You know, when she did that, she looked a lot like Switzerland.

Scarily so.

Giving me an obviously forced smile, she beckoned, "Why don't you come here for a second?" I gulped. I can suddenly see how these two are related. Oh God, she was going to kick my arse, wasn't she? But I could not refuse- her eyes were practically threatening me not to. I thought it best for my overall well-being to do as she said. I tentatively came closer to her and waited for her to do something.

Liechtenstein smiled cutely and wrapped her arms around my waist. I sighed and relaxed. "_Oh, she just wanted to hug me_." Inside, I was laughing. "_That makes so much more sense. Why would she ever want to cause me pain?" _

Those were the fateful words going through my head before she arched her back and flipped me over her. My head crushed into the ground and my whole world was consumed with the pain of possible brain damage. I moaned. My vision was out focus and I could feel a throbbing in my skull.I was perfectly content with just lying there, sprawled out on the floor, but little-Miss-backstabber wasn't through with me yet.

Roughly, she grabbed me by my collar and lifted my upper half to her face. "That's for letting Turkey touch me," She said, nice and cute. Oh heck, she was _definitely _related to Switzerland. She struck me across the face. "That's for letting Denmark touch me." She released me and I fell with a _thud! _back onto the ground. Just when I thought she was finished, Liechtenstein returned and pressed her foot onto my neck. "And this-" She added more force, causing me to choke. "-This is for having Prussia of all people put a corset on me_."_

I looked up at her through tearing eyes. "W-what the . . ." I gasped, trying to gain some breath. After a few more long and painful seconds, she finally released me. I curled up on my side, coughing up. A few more tears leaked from my eyes when my lungs expanded again. "_What are you doing?" _A part of me asked. "_Stop acting like a whimp! Would Dad want you to be like this?" _The answer was simple: no.

Strongly, I forced myself to sit up. My whole body ached, my head was spinning, and my chest was heaving from incessant coughs, but I still narrowed my eyes with the best glare possible. "W-why did you-" I coughed and saw dots in my vision. Frack, that was definitely not good.

"I'm sorry for doing that." I rolled my eyes as Liechtenstein sat in front of me, her legs folded behind her like a princess. "I hope that I didn't hurt you too bad."

I rubbed my neck as I coughed, saying, "Then why the heck did you do it?"

Her warm, slim finger reached out and playfully tapped my nose. "You fully deserved it," she said.

"How?"

The girl irritably sighed and looked up at the sky, as if praying. Maybe she was asking Jesus why I was, apparently, such an idiot. "I just told you: you not only let both Turkey _and _Denmark touch me, but you allowed Prussia to change me."

Words failed me. Oh, that's what she was so upset about. Those guys were touching her and. . . . I get it. I winced and held out my hands. "I didn't mean for those things to happen," I said. "They just did it without permission."

"You could've fought them away a bit more," She snapped quickly, her voice stabbing my chest. "And the last time I checked, you let Prussia do all of those things!"

I groaned. "I'm a guy in a girl's body!" I yelled. "I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do half of the time! If you think that it's bad now, wait until I'm on my period, then things will get crazy!"

She slapped me. "Would you just stop it?" She screamed, breath dancing on the red hot wound on my skin. I hissed and shot my head back. I was going to yell back at her, demand that she stopped being such an insensible broad, when I saw it: tears.

Two rivers of tears ran down her cheeks. Her blue eyes were shrinking as their whites turned red. For a moment, all I could do was stare. She was crying. Was the whole 'touched by guys' thing really that upsetting? Oh Jesus, please tell me that she wasn't raped.

Delicately, I moved my arms up and around her small frame. A thick sob escaped her as I started to rub her back. "It's all right," I cooed stiffly. "Just . . . why are you crying?"

Liechtenstein looked at me. "Why wouldn't I be?" she sniffled. "I'm stuck in this stupid contract just like you and hate it-" A new wave of tears overcame her. I panicked and quickly pulled her close to my chest as she started wailing. "I hate it so much!"

I nodded and continued to rub her back. All right, Larry. You have a cute little girl wailing into your chest. You have to comfort her. The only question is how? Darn it, I am not good at these kinds of things. What should I do?

Clear my douchebag name.

"I don't mind doing this because someone who I really like might die," I told her. My words were slow, as if it pained me to say them. She didn't stop crying, but her cries softened and I could tell that she was listening. "Actually, I more than like her." I thought about the way Stella looked when she smiled. "I love her. But I never told her that and she got into an accident and she might die. This guy- Erwin -he just offered to save her if I did this. And-" I took a long breath. "Maybe that's why I'm not upset. Because I want to be here. For her."

By now, Liechtenstein had long stopped crying. Something about my story had calmed her to the point where her chest was moving with even breaths. A silent moment settled over us as I felt something inside of me soften. That was the reason I was here, wasn't it? I could definitely bear through a bunch of perverts for her, couldn't I?

"I also didn't have a choice." I looked down at Liechtenstein as she returned my hug. Her face was turned to the side so that she could talk, but I could still feel her wet cheek through my shirt. "THE WAR was just starting and everything was supposed to be fine. Everyone swore that we were going to have fun doing this. But then this guy—Bud— said that something bad would happen to Prussia if I didn't agree to this. And-" Her hands gathered my jacket in fist fulls. "-I couldn't let anything bad happen to him. I didn't think, I didn't even read it, I just signed the stupid contract."

"So you must really love Prussia then," I said. On the outside, I did my best to sound cool and understanding, but deep down I was in shock. Liechtenstein loves Prussia? That idiot? Who would have thought! It must be one sided though since Prussia had yet to use that as an excuse to be near me. There was nothing I could do about it now. So I asked, "But you said that the guy was named Bud?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Bud. He made the contract with me. Light hair, glasses. I didn't get a good look at his face."

"Mine was Erwin," I replied. "Dark hair, glasses. I could spot him in a heartbeat. They must be in league with each other." I gave her a minute to just hug me, to separate the two conversations from each other, to make a distinct line between the good and bad. When I felt as though she was ready, I asked, "So what is this place anyways?"

"I'm not really sure," she replied, pulling away. She looked a lot better, even letting a small smile dance beneath her frown. "I'm just here when you're me. I sometimes get a little control, though."

I blinked, remembering the time when my- her -body went numb and someone beside me controlled it. That voice I heard, asking me to trust her sounded like Liechtenstein. "I think I know what you're talking about," I said, scratching the back of my neck. Now that I thought about it, I should have believed Russia when he threatened to put me on the rack. "So can you do that at any given time?"

Lucky for me, she shook her head. "No, only when I have a great desire to," she said. "But even then it's hard to keep it up."

"I see." I leaned back onto my elbows and looked up at the endless black. "Is that what's going on now? You're the one thing holding me here?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. It's hard."

"Well don't over exert yourself. If you can't hold me here for very long, then just let me go."

A small sense of satisfaction graced me when she genuinely smiled. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she asked, "Are you always this charming or am I just lucky?"

I smirked and hummed. Everything about me felt better. My body didn't hurt half as much and my resolved seemed stronger. I could do this. I could do anything for Stella. "Neither. I just like you." When I looked back at her to see if her smile was bigger, I saw instead her body fading away.

I frowned. "Liech . . ."

"I can't hold on to you forever," she told me, voice growing fainter with the passing second. "So I. . ." I wanted to contradict myself. I wanted to scream, to beg to hold onto the girl who looked like Stella. But I was the strong one and I had to be strong for Liechtenstein. So I closed my eyes and bathed in the feeling of endlessly falling

and falling

and falling

and falling

a

n

d

. . .

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 6**

I groaned as I felt the sunlight try to get through my eyelids. No, five more minutes Mom. Can't I sleep just a little longer? I was about to roll onto my side and go back to sleep when I remembered the void. Liechtenstein was depending on me to do this. Stella was not going to get better if I did nothing. Who was I to betray either of their trusts?

Filled with determination, I opened my eyes to the wood ceilings of the Brown Coats' ship. I was not in my hammock, but on a cot in the crew's sleeping chambers. Figures- who would put an unconscious girl in something she could fall out of? I tried to sit up, just to find that there was a weight on my stomach. I groaned when I saw Sokka curled there, sleeping. Memories of Berry told me to let sleeping cats lie or else risk getting my face mauled off.

I flopped back on my pillow and looked around. Switzerland was on a chair on the wall across of me. His arms were folded over his chest and his face was down. By his steady breaths, it was safe to say that he was sleeping. I craned my neck to see that in the hammock behind me was Prussia. He was also asleep, but his head was rested at the end by me, as if he was watching me. No, he _was _watching over me- Liechtenstein. "_He loves her back," I_ realized, remembering his surprise erection problem. "_They're both just too afraid to say it."_

"They both watched you while you were out." And finally, I looked at the doorway to see Turkey. He looked relaxed and cocky as usual. There not was a single trace of him even being in battle. In fact, all of the men looked to be in prime shape. Even the cut on Prussia's forehead was gone.

"_Well, they're countries so I guess that makes sense," I_ thought. Immediately, I scowled. "_I can't believe I'm actually going to believe this . . ."_

"Alfred was in here too," Turkey continued, kicking off his wall and steadily walking towards me. "But Belarus yelled for him about an hour ago."

I glared up at the turban-clad man as I asked, "What about you?"

He shrugged. "I came in and out a few times, but I had to help Neder and Estonia reinforce the cell door." He took a seat next to my colt, crisscrossing his long legs like a child. I focused my eyes on his red shirt. I wondered if being a country left him a few scars on his chest, like the one I had on my thumb. I wondered if I could ask him without sounding sexual. "Did you know that she refused Russia's offer?" He asked, reaching for a metal canister at his belt. He suddenly smirked. "That was stupid of me. You've been out for a whole day- of course you would have no idea."

My eyes drifted to his face as he took a long swig from it. "What's in there?" I asked. Was it just me or did that look like one of those old fashion alcohol containers?

Turkey quickly wiped his mouth along his arm before holding it out for me. "Do you want some?" he asked. "Don't worry; it's only apple juice."

Even though I could smell its sweetness clearly, I still didn't trust him enough. Or, at least, that's what I told myself. There was something about the smell that was tingling my memory. And the second I admitted that it was familiar, it came to me: Sherry, sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking straight from a plastic jug of it. "Why are you drinking that?" I asked her, wrinkling my nose at her vulgar behavior.

Sherry only swallowed what she had and shrugged. "A friend of mine really likes this stuff," she simply told me. Simple, yes, but careful and secretive. "It really calms me down."

"_Sherry and Turkey are not friends," I_ sternly told myself as I shook my head at the bottle. _"She would have had to come to this universe and that's impossible. Even if she did, I would know since that jerk can never keep her mouth shut about anything."_

"So what are you doing here?" I asked as he put his bottle away. "You don't seem like the type to watch over little girls in their sleep." It suddenly hit me what I was saying. "Actually, you do, but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Turkey chuckled. "Well I originally came in here to remind Switzerland to help Greece clean the guns, but since you suggested it . . . " Using the swiftness of the Ottoman Army (Oh my God, if stupid fangirls actually write lame comparisons like that in their Hetalia fan fictions, I swear that someone is going to lose an eye), he sprang into a crawl position. Right on top of me. Arms trapping my head on both sides. Like a guy about to have sex with a woman. At least Sokka was still sound asleep, offering my lower ends a little protection.

I think that this is one of the few times I fully deserve to swear. So here it goes: fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Turkey brought his face so close to mine that I could smell the apple in his words as he whispered, "I think that you and I can spare some time to have a little fun."

I was about to fight him away myself and demand that he get a hobby, but the beating Liechtenstein gave me came back to me. She was upset because I let a bunch of guys touch her . . . It looked as though I was going to have to do this the quick and cowardly way. I cleared my throat and did my best to look at Switzerland. I screamed, "Big brother!"

_Bam! _

In a flash, Switzerland had Turkey on the ground next to me, growling as he straddled his chest and jammed a gun under his chin. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The blonde snarled like an angered rabid dog.

Turkey shakingly grinned and lifted his hands up in defense. "This is all one big-"

"He was trying to have sex with me," I said, sitting up. Turkey had enough time to shoot me a betrayed look before Switzerland starting ranting off a series of swears. I think this time he was really going to kill him.

A felt a hand on my shoulder. I didn't need to turn to know that it was Prussia, awake and here for Liechtenstein. As I watched Switzerland punch the daylights out of Turkey, Prussia leaned in and asked, "Are you alright, Liech? Did he-"

I placed a hand over his and shook my head. "I called for Switzerland before he could do anything," I told him. I turned and saw the worried creases in his forehead. Even his thin lips were drawn in tight concern. I wondered what he would do if I told him that I was Larry. Would he be as equally serious or explosively upset? I did not like him in his seriousness. It seemed wrong, considering that he was that egotistical brat who thought that he could invent a bra. So I grinned and brightly said, "Don't look so sad, Prussia. I wouldn't let him do anything bad to me."

He nodded. "Yeah . . ." Well that was easy. "But it's my job to make sure that you're okay."

I paused. He looked so sincere, so guilty, like he really was madly and uncontrollably in love with me- her. He wasn't my lover- I had no idea how to reply to him! Opening and closing my mouth, I tried to come up with a reply. For goodness sake, I am a writer! This should be easy! This-

"What are you doing?" Everyone froze as we all realized that F-Cups was at the doorway, simmering with anger as she testily held her wooden spoon. She looked ready to spank the living daylights out of us evil doers- especially Switzerland and Turkey. They had somehow managed to be caught mid-wrestle with arms and legs tangled together.

Switzerland was the first to jump away, coughing nervously as he wiped the dust off of his pants. "I'm sorry, Ukraine," he said, looking down at his boots. His face turned a deep scarlet when he realized that Turkey had somehow managed to pull the zipper of his pants down. "Shit- This is not what it looks like!" He screamed, scrambling to pull it back up. "Turkey, he-"

F-Cups dutifully struck his cheek with her spoon. "What did I say about letting the infirm lie?" She demanded. Prussia and I gulped. I swore I saw steam puffing from her ears.

Turkey hollowly laughed and rose to his own feet. "I'm glad you and I agree on something, Ukraine," he said, his usual cockiness making me want to barf. Even Sokka, who was finally waking from its slumber, looked ready to cough up a furball. Slinging an arm around her shoulder, Turkey said, "Switzy has just got to learn to contain himself. He-"

Tears brimmed around her eyes. "Don't play innocent with me!" She yelled before hitting him. Turkey not only got a good spoon to the face, but the force drove him into the wall. He even made the same _splat! _sound a fly would.

"That was completely uncalled for!" He said, painfully peeling his face away. "You know that I am not like that!"

She folded her arms over her incredibly large bosom. "What about the night we spent with each other?"

"Didn't I say that you had the greatest pair of breasts I ever had the pleasure of su-" She hit him again.

"I've had enough of this!" She declared. Wow, I didn't know that boobs comments would send her that easily over the edge. F-Cups shot each and every one of us a glare as she ordered, "Every get out before I call Belarus down here for me." And that was enough.

Switzerland and Turkey made the smart decision of bolting while they could. They were gone before the dust from their feet could settle. Prussia, meanwhile, made a smart decision and started to help me up. "Let's get out of here," he said, shooing Sokka off of my lap. "Belarus seems really mad today as well." A pain vibrated from my lower abdominal. I hissed and grabbed my side. Prussia quickly came to my support. "Are you alright?" He fretted. "Are you still dizzy?"

I shook my head. "No, I-" I made the mistake of looking down. There was a freaking Japanese flag right where my butt was. Except that the red spot on the white sheets was made of blood.

. . .

I am a girl now, right ?

. . .

. . .

. . .

Holy Mother of Christ! Liechtenstein's on her period! Wait, no. Correction- _I'm _on my period! Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no. . . .

"Ukraine . . ." By now, my whole body was shaking as I looked at her with fear. Freaking hormone imbalances made tears start to stream down my face. She looked at me with a questioning look. Lips quivering, I motioned to my colt. "Help . . ."

It finally dawned. "Oh you poor thing!" She quickly rushed over to Prussia and pulled him away from me. "Oh my, with that much, you must have been going since last night."

Prussia looked over her shoulder. "Hey! What is going- Oh Fritz! Is that blood?"

I hid my face beneath my hair as I turned even redder than the blood. My tears of fright turned into tears of embarrassment. This was humiliating. More than anything, I just wanted all of this to stop. This was too much, too much, too much. . .

I barely noticed when Ukraine kicked Prussia out of the room and started getting me sorted. Her constant motherly rambling was enough for me to pay slight attention to. Within an hour, I knew where the bandages for all of the female countries' periods were and where to put them after usage. I was reminded of how often I should bathe and that it would only last for a week.

After what felt like forever, I was sitting with her at a table in the dining hall. She was having me drink some sort of herbal tea that would soothe the ache in my lower regions. I was quiet. My crying was done and all that remained were the trails on my red cheeks. I could picture it now: The next time I go on deck, the crew would magically know that Lichtenstein was on her period. I looked out at the other, far end of the room where the cannons were. There was a giant wall of ice where the hole was blasted. I had a feeling that we would be going to dock soon in order to fix it. I wondered if it would be possible to blast myself out of a cannon and die before then.

I sighed and tried to tune back into Ukraine's apologetic rant. Great, now she was begging for forgiveness over every single little thing she has done in the past hour or so. I stared at Ukraine. I wondered if . . .

Wait a second. When did I stop calling her F-Cups? I gave the blond a criticizing look. She was still F-Cups now, wasn't she? No, she was Ukraine. Yeah, I still hated the slut who I once dated, but those two were nothing alike. Ukraine was sweet and kind and Tamara was a broad. Why was I even placing them in the same category in the first place? Isn't that racist?

"Hey there!" I shifted in my seat as Alfred slid into the spot between us. A small layer of sweat covered his skin and sparkled under the light. Like an Edward. "How are my two babes doing?" he asked, grinning stupidly.

Ukraine waved him off. "Oh, we're doing fine, Alfred. What did Belarus make you do?"

"She just had me do a little weight lifting, that's all." I continued to hide my face as he nudged my shoulder. "Hey Liech, what' up?" He asked, excitedly. "How did you sleep last night?" I shrugged him away. There was a second where he didn't move, a second I imagined where he just stared at me with shock. Delicately, I felt him lean in. I could hear how grave he was when he asked, "Hey, is something wrong? Did Erwin. . .?"

I shook my head. As much as I would have liked for this whole thing to be a secret, I had to tell him or else run the risk of all of this turning into one big misunderstanding. So in a low whisper, I quickly told him about Liechtenstein and my womanly problems and how Ukraine was the one to save me.

When I was finished, he nodded and turned back to the woman. "Dude, Ukraine, that was super sweet of you," he said, giving her a look of awe and gratitude. "We have to pay you back."

She shook her head. "Oh, that won't be necessary," she said nervously. "I like helping people."

"So do heroes and they are always paid back." He reenacted "The Thinker" and propped his chin on his hand. "There has to be something that we can do." I was impressed. He seemed as though he really was working his tiny little brain for a solution. After a few awkward moments of nothing but me sipping away at my tea, Alfred snapped his fingers and gave her an excited look. "You said that it's hard to find a guy who doesn't only like you for your boobs." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "So Leich and I going to find you someone who doesn't care and hook you two up!"

I shot a spray of tea from my mouth. "We're going to do what?" I shrieked.

Alfred grabbed my hand and yanked me from my seat, saying, "You heard me, sidekick! We're going to help mend people's love lives!"

"I did not agree to this!" I yelled.

And I was ignored. "Quick!" Alfred struck a pose and pointed his finger to the stairs leading to the deck. "We must gather possible contestants!" He ran to the stairs, dragging me along with him. My heels were dug ten feet into the deck, yet the maniac was able to move me as easy as butter. As easy as I can't believe it's not butter buttery spread. The only thing I could do was shakingly wave at Ukraine and pray that we didn't screw this up.

Oh God, what was Liechtenstein going to say? My job was to find Gilbert, not mess with other people's romances.

When we came onto deck, I was relieved to find that everything was normal. Everyone was working and yet having a good time with each other. Smiles and hearty laughs were quick to go around. Even better, Belarus was nowhere to be seen. "_Probably off having sex with Russia," _I thought darkly.

Alfred suddenly paused in his steps and I knocked into his back. "Ow, watch it!" I snapped, rubbing my nose. Strange, it hurt a lot more now that I was PMSing. Oh boy, he was going to pay for- Alfred suddenly yawned and his whole body swayed with it. I hissed and jumped aside. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" I demanded, watching him lean on the rail for support. I was going to berate him some more, but then I saw how tightly he was gripping it. His knuckles were turning white. I bit my lip. "Alfred, is everything . . ."

He gulped and gave me a forced grin. "I'm fine," he said, sounding very tired. "I just gotta go now. Hero duties call for me to be elsewhere."

I frowned. "What do you mean by-"

"See ya!" He ran past me, swaying with each gulf of wind, and drunkenly made his way back below deck. I thought for a second that I should go after him; see if he was really okay. Alfred did look very tired and it looked as though he was struggling to stay awake long enough to even speak to me.

But if he wanted me to know, he would have told me. _"It's still odd," I_ thought, forcing my legs to walk away from the stairs and further down deck. "_Alfred never hides anything from me." _A loud meowing drew my attention. Sokka was lightly scratching my leg, giving me a hopeless look with its large, adorable green eyes. I smiled and bent down to pick him up.

"I'm sorry boy," I said, cradling him close to my chest. I winced. Okay, periods makes a girl's boobs sensitive. I will remember that.

Still holding the ball of fur close, I leaned against the rail and watched the crew. Denmark was sleeping, Estonia and Prussia were joking around, the Netherlands was sitting on a crate as he wrote- hold it! A rush of excitement flood my veins. He's writing! Maybe he has some left over, unused paper I could use. A giddy smile stretched over my face as I rushed over to ask. No words could ever describe how my fingers itched to continue writing. I didn't even care what I wrote, I just needed to let the words flow off my hand.

"Hello Netherlands," I greeted, sliding onto the crate next to him.

The Netherlands jumped and held the papers out of reach. A loud swear left his mouth before his brain registered who I was. "Sorry about that," he said, grinning nervously. He lowered his arms and placed his paper back on his lap. "I didn't realize that it was you."

I shrugged, barely able to contain myself. "It's okay. What are you writing?"

I think that was the first time I ever saw such a serious man smile with happiness. It looked odd on his face, like his mouth was only made for frowns. But it was the most genuine smile I had ever seen. "I'm actually writing poetry," he explained happily. He gave a small laugh as he scratched the back of his neck. "I've been trying to write it in Cantonese, but since I'm rather new to the language, I don't know a lot of rhyming words."

I knitted my eyebrows. "Why would you be writing in that?" I asked.

The Netherlands placed a hand around my shoulders (why has everyone been doing that lately) and pointed up to the crow's nest. "See that?" He asked, voice barely reaching a whisper. I squinted my eyes and saw the black dot of Hong Kong's hair. "That's where my boyfriend is-" Oh frack. "-And I'm writing this for him."

Okay, so he's gay too? Oh come on! He would make a perfectly cool straight guy! But no, this universe has to go over and just ruin things like this for me. I freaking hate this place. "That's . . . nice," I growled in a poor attempt to hide my displeasure. I think he understood my anger anyways since he looked away and we were silent for a few moments. It was when the blonde was looking down at his pocket watch did I get the courage to try to push it all side and get the writing supplies. "Can I have that?" I asked, pointing to his spare paper and feather pens.

The Netherland sadly shook his head. "No, they're on loan from Russia," he said. "But-" His frown turned into a grin. "I bet that if you asked him nicely, he would give you some."

"Oh no." I made an 'X' with my arms, greatly disturbing my cat. "There is no way that I'm going to be getting friendly with that creep." It didn't look as though he was going to let the subject go. In fact, it outright looked as though he was going to continue trying to persuade me of some goodness Russia might have deep down. So the only thing I could really do is quickly change the subject. "What does your poem say?" I quickly asked.

The Dutchman looked slightly taken aback, but he nonetheless scooted closer to me. He pointed to each line of characters as he said it, making the romantic words loud and clear.

_There are millions of things_

_That I wish I could say to your face._

_Millions of 'I love you's'_

_I wish I could whisper into your heart. _

_There are a millions things I think about_

_When I get to lay so close to your warmth._

_But I fear that I will not have time_

_And I will be lost before I could kiss you again. _

_Yet times ticks on with the clock,_

_And this delusion will end when the hands scream "midnight." _

_I am a coward among millions of men_

_Yet my heart has chosen to love a strong one like you. _

_I love you, so I will continue living,_

" . . . And that's where Cantonese fails me," he finished.

I faced him, making sure he saw the wide eyes and gaped mouth on my visage. "What do you mean?" I demanded. "That's brilliant! How could you even consider ending it right there?"

He scratched his chin. "Well Liechtenstein, I know what I want to say, but there is no way I can make it rhyme in Cantonese."

I inched closer to him, asking, "So what is it?"

The Netherlands shifted, giving himself a little space from me. Was my eagerness scaring him? I hoped not- I really did like him. As a friend, of course. Sighing, he pointed at his incomplete line. "It's supposed to say '_even if it means selling my soul for you.'" _

My chest suddenly hurt and it wasn't from holding Sokka either. Didn't I do that for Stella- sell my soul, I mean. Well not necessarily sell it, per say, but more like let some creepy guy mess around with it. "I get it," I whisper, smiling forlornly. "I know what you mean."

He gave me a surprised look. "Are things between you and Belarus really that bad?" he asked.

And there I go: boiling over like an overdue kettle. "We are not a couple!" I yelled, jumping from my seat. Sokka yelped as it fell from my lap and onto the deck. I didn't have time to feel bad about it, though. This was now about me and keeping my dignity. "Why do you people keep on suggesting that?" I demanded, attracting the attention of the whole crew. "There is nothing between us now and there never will be. I-"

The door to the captain quarters suddenly slammed open. Dressed in his usual brown coat, Russia sent everyone on deck a glare before yelling, "Liechtenstein! Denmark! Get in here _right now_!"

I jumped, feeling the color leave my face. Oh crap, a pissd of Russia wanted me. This was not going to be pretty and everyone knew it. I saw everyone on the whole deck give us Red Coats pitiful looks before making the sign of the cross. I think with how angry Russia looked, God wouldn't even be able to save us. Denmark and I met each other halfway and, without much thought, continued our death march together. It would be a miracle if we both survived. Somehow we both found the courage to walk past Russia and into the dark crevices of his quarters.

It was rather clean, with the curtains drawn shut. In the darkness, I could see a neatly arrange desk by the window, covered with organized maps and tools. There was a dresser, drawers opened to reveal shirts and trousers and a mirror and dresser. A table stood in the middle of the room, decked with fine china and goblets. On the wall, closest to me, was a built in bed. Belarus was there, carelessly holding the blankets in front of her naked chest as she glared at us.

Great, Russia was pissed off because of incest. _Great!_

The captain slammed the door shut and I heard the locking of the key. And now I was stuck in a dark room with Russia, Belarus, and Denmark. I was definitely going to be screwed in one form or another. "Sit," Russia ordered. He marched by us and stood at his desk. I exchanged a look with Denmark's blue eyes. Where?

Belarus rose, wrapped the blanket around her like a dress and went to meet her brother. On the way over, she nudged my shoulder and pointed to the seats at the dining table. "Why are we here?" Denmark asked as we both pulled up a chair. "I don't remember doing something wrong."

"Don't you dare question my brother," she snapped, lovingly wrapping her arms around Russia. Poor guy, he looked stressed- he was hunched over, face buried deep into his hands. I could feel the stress radiating off of him. "He will talk to you when he is ready."

A vein popped in Denmark's forehead. I had never seen the guy so angry before; he looked ready to swear his head off. But something about the way Belarus held her brother made him calm down. I really didn't see how- she was doing it rather seductively, like slipping her long white hands into his shirt and running them down his chest. I didn't want to speak and I sure as hell didn't want to watch them. So I turned my eyes downwards.

I jumped when I saw Sokka sitting politely at my feet. "_Stupid cat." _I scowled and motioned for it to go away. "_Get out of here before you get yourself killed." _Obviously, cats can't read minds, so Sokka just sat there, looking up at me with its cute face and fluffy tan-ish fur. "_Know what? If you're going to be so stupid, I hope you get yourself killed. Yeah, that'll teach you." _I frowned, feeling a guilt root in my gut. "_I'm sorry, Sokka. I didn't mean that. It was just-"_

"That's it." Denmark suddenly stood, pushing his chair back as he did. "This is a waste of my time," he declared, face turning red from irritation. Belarus gave him a look of contempt while Russia seemed to grow more and more tense. "I did not come here to watch you sulk in a corner." He kicked the seat completely, making a loud bang to compliment his mood. "Call me back when you-"

"You fucking sold us out!" Russia screamed, slapping his hand on his desk and he suddenly stood. If I thought that he was scary when he was happy, then he was terrifying when he was pissed off. Even Belarus had the sense to jump back and give him space.

However, Denmark, being the stupid idiot he is, continued pushing. "What the hell do you mean by that?" He demanded, marching back to the desk.

The captain glared at him, growling and flashing his teeth like a rabid dog. "You know exactly what I mean. The Red Coats had to have found us one way or another and both of you are the prime suspects."

"I've been captured on this ship for over two months," Denmark said, bringing his voice into a low growl. He leaned into the desk and met the Russian's glare with his own. "Why do you think that I would betray you now?" He pointed a hand back at me. "And look at Liechtenstein. She's small, she's sweet, and she depends on her brother for everything. Why would she put his life in danger?"

"We are countries," Russia sneered. "We are tailored for war. Do you really think that anyone would put aside the chance of victory for someone they pretend is their sibling? Hmm?"

The other made a low 'tch' noise and drew back. "You're wasting my time," he repeated. "You're upset that we lost the battle and you don't want to admit it to yourself." I watched helplessly as Denmark turned to walk away. "I'll escort myself out, tha-" An inhuman noise gurgled out of his mouth.

Gasping, Denmark fell to the ground, revealing a knife to be sticking out of his shoulder. I screamed as I scrambled up my chair. How did that get there? Did Belarus throw it? Why would she do that? Oh God. Hyperventilating, I starred with fear at the weapon. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. . .

I felt my heart race even more as Sokka timidly trotted up to Denmark. In the dark light, I could see the cat lick his fingers and nudge his face.

Cats are really strange creatures- or at least this one was. They did not discriminate between people for their race, sexuality, or interests. All they cared about who gave them food or scratches behind the ear. In return, the cat takes time to figure out of their owner is as a person. Then their constant need for attention becomes endearing, a way to show appreciation. And then, when that person is in trouble- dying from a literal knife in the back -they come to their need.

Something inside of me was stirred. Not like "Oh, I'm going to start a revolution over this" and everyone gets their head chopped off, but more like I felt as though I could do something. After all, if a simple feline could try to help the wounded, why couldn't I?

Pressing my lips together, I testily stood and marched right up to Russia's desk, sneering, "How dare you." I shot my glares between Belarus, who looked a little taken aback by my angered behavior, and Russia, who was only raising an eyebrow. "I don't care who you people think you are, but we are not traitors. Denmark is a simple man and when he swears his loyalty, it would be foolish to doubt it. As for me, it would be foolish to cross your wrath. The life of the girl I love is on the line and I would gladly dwell under your rule to save it."

"You speak harsh words for someone who is trying to convince innocence," Russia replied evenly. I noticed for the first time that the stab wound in his arm was gone. How did he get rid of that so quickly? Was it something about being a country?

I leaned in closer to the desk. It was moments like these where I really needed my breath that I really hated my corset. It was making it hard for me to get enough air to rant and defend myself. "You point fingers easily for someone who is supposed to lead," I replied. His neutral face faltered into a frown. I was going to be killed for that.

In the darkness of the room, I took one last, calming breath. I have to be strong, for Dad, for Stella, for Liechtenstein, and for Denmark. I had to be strong for all of them. "You may call me back in here when you actually have an argument to press. Until then-" I went back to Denmark and saw that his chest was still rising and falling with breath. I picked up his legs and started dragging him to the door.

Of course, it wasn't until I turned the knob that I realized that it was locked.

"Open the door," I ordered, giving them a side glare.

Russia shrugged and nodded off to his half-naked sister. "Give me back my knife first," Belarus said, her narrow eyes cold enough to freeze a dessert. I looked back down at the weapon. It was still in his back, taunting me with glee. I could pull it out, if I tried.

But it was a _knife._

Even so, it was my only ticket out of here.

Keeping my gaze on Sokka, I bent down and felt for the knife. Once my hand was around the handle, I thought of a prayer before yanking it out and sliding it across the wood to her. Immediately, I started wiping my hands on my skirt. I prayed that there was no blood on me. But no matter how much I wiped, the sticky feeling would not leave my hands. I barely noticed Belarus as she tossed me the key. Catching it, I thought about what a milestone this was. Not only did I nearly get myself killed, but I also managed pull a bloodied knife out of someone's back.

Giving the woman a spiteful grin, I unlocked the door and quickly dragged Denmark out. I was blinded by the light for a second, but I had to be quick. "We have a bleeding man!" I screamed well before my eyes adjusted. When Denmark was fully out of the captain quarters (he was tall, so it took a while), I dropped his legs and leaned against the rails. My head was buzzing. Crew members were already rushing to his side, calling out the need for bandages and alcohol. At one point of time Switzerland came by to see that I was alright, but he was called back to help Ukraine be the doctor.

Holding my stomach, I hissed and sank to my knees. My period, added with the rocking of the boat and the scent of the blood, was making me feel sick. More than anything, I just wanted to lie down and die for a few days. "Hey Larry." I smiled as Alfred slowly sank to me height. "You don't look so good."

"I'm doing better," I replied emotionlessly. Taking a large breath, I met his innocent, blue eyes and asked, "Alfred, can these freaks die?"

He blinked. "Everyone dies, Lar."

"But they're countries." I leaned back and looked up at the clear blue sky. I wondered if I was ever going to see a cloud or bird up there, free and noble. "Surely there has to be an exception for you guys."

His hand wrapped around my shoulders. Giving me a reassuring squeeze, he gave me a somber smile. "Well it is harder to kill one, but it is possible. Most of the time, a country who is critically injured would fall into a coma like state for a few hours and heal himself. But sometimes death beats them. In that case, a clone of them appears with the same looks, personality, and memories. But the old man told me that they would always be slightly different."

I gave him a funny look. "Who's 'the old man?'"

Alfred looked down nervously, playing with the ends of his vest. "He's my older, stuck up brother," he explained. "He-"

Something touched my leg. "Sokka?" I asked, seeing the cat at my lap. It sat there proudly, holding a letter in its mouth. It placed it on my lap and meowed loudly, as if to say 'read it.' Alfred and I exchanged a look. Where the heck did it get this?

Hesitantly, I took it and turned it in my hands. Considering the time period, it was pretty average with that parchment looking paper and wax seal. The seal itself was red and decorated with an emblem of a watch with the hands pointing at the twelve. "That's odd," I muttered, showing it to Alfred.

His only reply was to peer at it curiously and quickly shrug.

I carefully tore the top of the letter and pulled out a folded piece of paper. On the inside, written in neat black cursive, was a little message:

_To She With My Name,_

_I apologize that we cannot speak in person, but these are matters that I was forbidden to vocalize to you. Even though the only way I can talk to you can only be through letters, I pray that you will heed my words and take them to heart. I cannot explain to you why I must do this or what is at stake if I don't, but you must forget about your feelings for others and focus on Belarus and Russia. You must fall in love with either of them and you have to prove this love with a kiss. I know that this is sudden, but there is so much at stake. Please, you only have to love them- they do not have to return the feelings. I tell you all of this because my time is running out. Please, help me._

_Sincerely, He With Your Name_

* * *

**The Room: Day 6**

"Yo! Winny!" Erwin sighed as his brother threw his arm around him. Bud grinned largely as he gave him a noogie, saying, "Did you know that you have the worst timing ever? I was in the middle of something extremely important and you just decided to butt your head in and get Alfred in here? And I really badly wanted to see what would happen if he-"

"We have more important things to worry about," Erwin snapped. He shoved him away and walked to the middle of the cold, white room. He was fuming, irritated at the change of events. Himaruya did say that his mess up would not harm the plan, yet he was introducing a new element. If bringing Larry Ebenezer Sue to this world was not a bad thing, then why were they taking a new precaution? The idea that he had made things harder for his father plagued him. No, things were not supposed to be that way. He had to figure out a way to fix things, to make things better once again.

Bud leaned against the wall and covered his nose. He said, "Is it about the smoke problem in here? Because that is totally not me."

"We both know that is from our client," Erwin told him, taking a seat in the chair. All around him was the repulsive stench of cigarette smoke. He looked down at his reflection, seeing how stressed and tense his face was. He needed rest, but every time he tried to sleep, the plan would come back to him. It was so carefully laid- there could not be a hair out of place if it was going to work. "But I do have to agree with you, Bud. He needs to cut back on the smoking."

The blond grinned. "Stop being so scary, Winny, and maybe he wouldn't have the need to."

Erwin frowned. "You are quite aware that we are supposed to be intimidating with the clients or else they will believe that they can beat us," he said.

Bud waved him off. "Yeah, yeah." He suddenly jumped and grew very excited. Practically giggling, he asked, "Oh, did I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Hima-pop's prediction was right. The boy and Liechtenstein met each other, talked about the both of us, and parted as friends. It's completely opposite from the previous time," Bud said as he walked over to his brother. "And then, when he met up with Alfred again, he told him about their meeting."

Erwin nodded appreciatively. "Yes, he is reacting exactly how Himaruya said he would." He smirked. "What do you think that would mean for Alfred?"

Bud shrugged. "I don't know. Probably an over the top whine about betrayal before deciding that the damsel just needed to be saved by the hero." He sat at the other's feet, covering his tensed reflection. Looking up at him brightly, he asked, "Didn't you say something earlier about talking about more important things?"

The younger nodded, mentally scolding himself. This was why he was so incapable of giving Himaruya his happiness. He seemed to always forget the most critical details in times of importance. "I presume that you also received the notice from Himaruya about the new precautions?"

"I skimmed it."

He sighed. And that was Bud's flaw: carelessness. It was not as though he was not concerned with the outcome- he really was. But he was more relaxed about it. How many times had he listened to him stretch as he said, "No worries, Winny. It'll all sort itself out." Perhaps it was a form of overconfidence. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, all he knew was that it was going to endanger the plan.

And the plan, to Erwin, was life itself.

"Himaruya ordered us to mess with the boy's mind," Erwin explained. "He went on about how the girl from before caused her own problems with her arrogance. The boy's arrogance, however, is bringing him closer to his goal than originally anticipated. Thus, we must interfere with his mind processes so that his progress slows down, but our other clients do not."

Bud's eternal grin grew larger. "So we have to cause a hell of a lot of mind-fuckery?"

Erwin, for once, returned the visage. "The biggest we can produce."

Bud jumped to his feet. His excitement was so great that he could not keep still. He rolled his shoulders and paced around the room, muttering to himself of the ways they could achieve that. They ranged from giving the boy bad dreams to turning a friend against him.

Trying his best to be helpful, Erwin offered, "I was thinking about bringing his girlfriend into this."

Sadly, his brother shook his head. "No, you know what he thinks of her. Doing that would only make him strive more. We need something he would-" His feet stopped. His brain seemed to have shot to somewhere else before a laugh echoes out of his throat. "I got it!" Like a child, he slid to his knees and placed a finger on the glossy white floors. "How about we bring-" The white rippled at the tip of his finger and a clear image appeared. "-This onto the ship? It will definitely set him off."

Erwin looked at it and smiled. "Yes. That would work marvelously."

* * *

**MW: **Hey guy, guess what?

**SEK: **Do I want to know?

**MW: **The next chapter is awesome and I am extremely proud of it.

**BFTL: **That's fine, but what about this one?  
**MW: **I think it's safe to say with this one that I gave you all a lot of plot. Like who is this "He With Your Name" and why does he need Larry need to fall in love with Russia and Belarus? All of the questions I give you a—

**BFTL: **Let's shut her up now while we can. So thank you all for reading!

**Notes**

"Tamara" In case you did not make the connection, Tamara is the bictchy ex-girlfriend/Ukrainian exchange student Larry had way back in the day.

"I'm actually writing poetry" Cannon fact that the Netherlands loves romantic poetry.

"_There are millions of things" _This is also my own poem. It bugs me that it doesn't rhyme or have a proper verse scheme, but it's supposed to be in Cantonese, so what can I say?

**Next Chapter: **Larry and the crew spend some down time at a local port. But what could be waiting there for them?

**Hey Guys. To celebrate season five, you should all review and I'll make an effort to reply to every message. **


	5. Beware the Alleys of Sicily

**SEK: **Happy Discounted Candy Day!

**MW: **Yes. We all hope that you all also had a wonderful Valentine's Day as well. If you're like me, you spent it in a lonely corner. If you're also like me, then that means that you also gave one of your friends a rock as a gift. Eh, at least he loves that rock.

But enough stalling. I promised you all that I will reply to every single review and I just need to reply to a few people on guest review. So . . .

**Ayumi Kudou: **Yes he does. Now we just need a story where a girl learns what its like to be a guy.

**Guest (HastalaPasta): **Thank you very much. I bet that if you just apply what we know from FG into this story, you can probably figure out what's going to happen.

**Reader: **I used the term "sexual themes" to summarize all of the rather perverted moments and jokes in the chapter. It's simply a lot easier to say that then to list every instant I make a sex joke.

**dismallyOriented: **You know you love them. You know, one of the reasons why I really like you is the fact that you pick up on the small details. I have faith that you're going to be able to figure out the big plot twist in this story.

**Guest (awesomeidea): **I have to say, I have never gotten that theory before. We'll have to see if it's true or not.

And there we go! I have to admit, it's fun talking to you guys. Remind me to do this more often. So enjoy yourselves. I'll do more talking at the bottom AN. And I hope you all enjoyed.

**Edit: **Thank you to **dismallyOriented** for correcting my Italian.

**Chapter Summary: **_The Romanov _docks at a port one day and Larry is given a day of not-so-fun fun.

**Warnings: **Strong language, more sexual themes, mild violence, and alcohol usage.

**Disclaimer: **Really, I still only own the Fanseries.

* * *

**~Chapter 5~ **

**Beware the Alleys of Sicily **

"_We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."_

_-_**Frederick Keonig, German Inventor **

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 10**

The morning air was crisp. The fog that settled in it was burnt away by the sun and we could finally see the shore. Along with the rest of the crew, I leaned against the rail and looked out over the ocean. According to Switzerland, that was a busy port city in Sicily. The wonder and thrill of it all had part of me giggling. "Italy!" I wanted to scream, running and skipping and spinning across the deck. "I'm going to be in Italy!"

The only thing holding me back was the folded piece of paper in my pocket. Frowning, I gripped the rail tighter. "The Boy with the Same Name": he was someone on this ship, someone who knew who I was and wanted my help. I slowly let go of the wood and walked away from the excited mass of people. Who was he? Why couldn't he just come around and just say who he was? And what did he mean by getting me in fall in love with Belarus and Russia?

"Meow!" I chuckled and looked down at the little sucker pawing my leg.

"I'm sorry Sokka," I said, bending down to pick it up. "I was just a little deep in thought." I held him to my chest like a baby, jumping up and down on my toes to soothe it. "Everyone on the ship is a country," I told it. "There's no one else here who's named Larry." And before you ask, yes I am talking to a cat. I always find that the best way to work out my problems was to write them out— see the words as they really were and realize how insignificant they were. But I had nothing to write with, so talking about my life issues to a cat was going to have to do. "I wonder if I'll ever find this Gilbert person. I want to go home." I frowned. "What if something bad is happening to Stella right now? What if—"

"Yo, Lar!" I sighed for a third time when Alfred slinked an arm around my shoulder. The guy was smiling the biggest I had ever seen as he squeezed my shoulder and disturbed my time with the cat. "How's my favorite she-male doing?" He asked.

I gave him an offended look. "You did not just call me that," I said, looking and feeling ready to kill him.

He shrugged. "I just did. What are you going to do about it?"

I thought back to the time when Liechtenstein flipped me in the void. If only I had that kind of skills (or at least that muscle memory) so that I can to the same back to him. "_I really wish that you can help me right now," I_ thought whimsically.

My whole body suddenly felt sickly numb. Against my will, Sokka fell out of my arms, as I suddenly found myself jerking around, grabbing Alfred in the right places, and throwing him over my shoulder. His head made quick contact with the ground in what felt like an earth shattering boom. "_Don't forget that I can still do that," _I heard Liechtenstein say.

My inner self smiled. "_Thanks. Do you think that you can teach me how to do that the next time we meet?"_

Liechtenstein had my—her—body shrug. "_If I did, then you would know how to do it back to me," _she said. Was it just me or was there just the slightest hint of mischievousness in her voice. Maybe even—dare I say?—flirtation.

"_Very sneaky of you,"_ I replied, mimicking her mood. A small part of me felt bad that I was flirting with someone who is not Stella, but she did look like her (in a way). And besides, Stella was mine as much as Prussia was Lichenstein's. "_What about Alfred?" _I asked, looking at the poor guy. He was moaning from his spot on the floor, probably out cold. "_I don't think you meant to do that."_

I felt some of the control return to my body as her voice started to fade away. "_True, but there's something off about him . . ." _Just as her voice left for good, Sokka started pawing at my leg again.

I wanted to let out another exasperated sigh. Then I realized that it had been doing that the whole time Liechtenstein had her body, I just couldn't feel it. Smiling apologetically, I picked him up again and held him close. "I'm sorry fella," I said, feeling his soft fur at the crook of my neck. "I don't think you would understand."

The cat started meowing, as if to tell me "Yes! I do understand, Larry! I get that you're really a dude! I get that Alfred drives you insane sometimes! I get that I am named after the greatest fictional character of all time! I get that sleeping commando is the best way to go! I get you _completely_!"

I frowned, stroking his white and brown fur. I said, "If only I could understand you."

"Holy cow, Liech! Did you do that?" I turned my focus off of my cat to see that the Netherlands was standing over Alfred, watching him moan as he drifted in and out of consciousness. His pointy knees were sticking out as he bent down to experimentally poke his head with his pipe.

I gave a slight shrug. "He deserved it."

A certain poke to the head erupted a mumble from Alfred's lips. The Netherlands laughed. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second," he said. "Switzerland had to have taught you some sort of fighting." His fascination faded away as he looked at the big bump on Alfred's forehead. "Though try to be careful. Alfred's still a human and moves like those would break him." I gave him a condescending look. He made it sound as though Alfred and every other human was just a toy, something to be used and thrown away when broken.

Oblivious, he laughed and rose to his feet, saying, "It's a little sad too. This is the first time we've been to a port without fighting someone for weeks. He's going to hate missing out on this one." Absently, he pulled out his watch and checked the time. His green eyes were strangely concentrated on the face, as if he was having trouble reading it.

I suddenly remembered my own strange item. "Hey Netherlands, can I ask you something?" He looked at me and gestured for me to go ahead. Biting my lip, I took a deep breath and asked, "Do you know anyone by the name of Larry?"

"Nope," he said quickly, eyes zoning in right on me. "I don't even think that any of my citizens have that name. Why?"

A rush of embarrassment came over me. "I, er—"

"Comrades!" It was the first time I ever felt grateful for Russia to suddenly make his appearance. The brute strutted to the deck, smiling happily with his younger sister at his side. Neither of them had talked to me much since our little incident a few days ago. I think I won that one since they haven't thrown me into the cells with Seychelles yet. Then again, you can never be too wary of what those two could be planning.

The Netherlands forgot his question as we listened to him give us an encouraging pep talk. We were docking in this port for one day only, so make good use of it. The primary purpose is so that we can get Ship Repair Man to fix the massive hole in the side. Apparently, she can do it in a few hours. In the meantime, we are free to visit that local shops, taverns, and churches. There will be no trouble caused or else Belarus would use you as target practice. "And lastly, our Red Coat prisoners are allowed to join us on our little trip," Russia said, eyeing Denmark and me. Denmark looked better than before. Like all of the countries, he healed fast and was back to working two days ago, though there was a bright white bandage still over his toned chest. "However, they must be accompanied by a member of this crew _at all times_. Are we all clear on that?"

Everyone knew that he was forgetting to say one thing: Seychelles had to stay in her cell. She said so herself that she would rather rot in jail than work with any Brown Coat scum. She was going to stay behind here for a while.

The Netherlands looked down at me. Hesitantly, a small smile stretched across his face. "Well Liechtenstein, it looks as though you are in need of an escort," he said. In a completely natural manner, he knelt like a butler and offered his hand. "I would be honored if I can be your escort for this fine outing."

I blinked, suddenly feeling very awkward. What does a guy say when another guy asks him out? After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to skip the wait-are-you-gay discussion and skip to the important one. "Why would you want to go out with me?" I asked. "What about Hong Kong?"

Lucky for me, he left his stance and returned to full height. "He's off having a day with Japan," he said. "I figured that you and I could have a little talk before time runs out."

I thought about my options. Alfred was out so I couldn't spend the day with him. Liechtenstein might be happy if I spend time with Prussia, but he might get another erection and I was as sure as heck that I would not be able to spend more than five minutes around Switzerland. I took his hand, saying, "Fine, but you have to help me carry Alfred back to his bed."

A strange smile graced the Dutchman's face. It was as if my answer brought part of his soul back to life. "I would be more than happy to."

Alfred was surprisingly heavy. As the crew rushed to get their damaged ship into port, the Netherlands and I had to each grab one of Alfred's arms and drag him across the deck. Twice his pants caught on a loose nail and came straight off. After a long struggle, we were able to lift his limp body into his hammock and tuck him in for bed. "Jesus, he's heavy," I complained, cracking the bones in my back.

The Netherlands chuckled as he rolled his neck. "Well, the kid does nothing but eat," he replied. "What else do you expect?" He motioned for me to join him walking to above deck.

"But he's so buff!" I exclaimed, seeing his defined chest muscles in my head. "I expected him to be just the slightest bit lighter."

"Well you can't always get what you want," he said as we climbed the final steps onto deck. The sun shined down on us as the sounds of the ocean was replaced with that of a port. _The Romanov _was docked and everyone was off having fun.

Everyone except us.

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly nervous. I hoped Liechtenstein wouldn't think that this little outing with him is violating her body. I felt the need to just clarify with her anyways. "_Liech, if you can hear me, I just want you to know that I will not let Netherlands touch you," _I thought. "_I don't even think that he would ever dream of doing something like that." _I waited a minute for her to reply.

My head remained silent.

I needed to fill it with something.

"So Netherlands." He looked down at me, raising an eyebrow. I tried my best to act as sweet and Liechtenstein-like as possible- holding my hands behind my back and batting my thin eyelashes. "You said that there was something that we needed to discuss," I reminded.

I watched as he nodded, hand stroking the pipe in his mouth. I wondered if that thing was ever lit- there was never any sign of him smoking it most of the time. Then again, he did reek of smoke. Maybe it was, like, a natural odor or something. His free hand went to his pocket as he said, "Well you see here, I can't-"

"Comrades!" We both froze as Captain Russia made his way to the both of us. He left his sister at the rail, half of her attention on her knife polishing and the other on her lover. "What are you two still doing here?" He asked, smiling brightly. I shifted on my feet. He was acting as though he nearly didn't kill me a few days ago. In fact, he was acting nicer than he normally ever did.

The Netherlands must have noted the difference too since both of his hands returned to his side. They hung there lifelessly, yet composed like a soldier. He slowly blinked a few times, trying to come up with a careful reply. "We were merely taking care of Alfred, sir," he replied formally. "But don't worry. I will be escorting Liechtenstein around town today. She'll never-"

"That wouldn't be necessary," Russia told us, holding up his hand and shaking his head. "I will be doing that. You go off and join your boyfriend."

I choked. I was going to have to spend the day with Russia? Oh frack no. That was not going to happen. Desperately, I tugged on my friend's shirt, asking, "What about our talk?"

Let's just say that I was not pleased when he smirked and shook his head. "Actually, I don't think that it'll be necessary." He buried his hands in his pockets and walked to the board leading to the land. "Have fun with your boyfriend now!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled back, turning red with anger.

Russia laughed and patted my shoulder with his huge hand. "You are such an entertaining person," he said. Was that supposed to be a compliment? "You make me laugh so much."

Quick, Larry- think of an excuse to get him away. For a moment, I stumbled over my words and excuses before one came to mind. "What about the boat?" I hopefully asked. "Don't you have to stay here and make sure that the repairs are done?"

His smile only got bigger. "That's why I have a first mate," he said. He ignored the sound of Belarus stabbing her newly polished knife into the deck. He did, however, turn back to her, calling, "Sister: you will make sure that Ship Repair Man Pangaea does a good job, yes?"

Belarus directed her glare at me as she pulled out a new knife to work on. "Of course, brother," she sneered, curling her upper lip. "I would just _love _to wait here."

I thought that I saw a spark of irritation in his eyes before Russia started dragging me away. "Thank you Bela," he said, resisting her glaring and my heel digging. "We'll be back soon! See you tonight!"

She let her middle finger do the talking.

As he led me down the board-thing to the ground (I have no idea what to call it. It's like a ramp, but it's just a wooden board and they used it in _Pocahontas) _(Not that I like that movie though. Sherry just watched it a lot), I scrambled to figure out what was going on. Russia was escorting Liechtenstein around the town. He was escorting _me. _This was seriously not good. Something deep down told me that he was going to enact some form of revenge on me before the day was out.

The Italian town was busy. All around the port were sailors loading and unloading crates. Harsh foreign voices filled the air with laughs, gossip, and shouts. Through the bustling people, Russia took my hand and guided me through. My legs were half the size of his, so I was left running after a giant who was walking. I stumbled every other step. He did not notice.

"What do you want to do first?" He asked me, turning to me with a smile. His voice barely rose above the song of the town.

"_How about you let me go_, _jerk-face; that way we can stop wasting our time and I can actually find this stupid Gilbert guy!" _Of course, I only thought that. On the outside, I frowned and gave a hurried shrug. Maybe I could escape when he let go of my hand.

The only problem was that he never did. Russia pulled me out of the sea area and to the shops and stores. He took me to every display window, giving 'ooh's and 'ahh's over the often simple merchandise. "Look at these gloves," he exclaimed one time while we were in front of a leather shop. "They look like they can keep anyone's hands warm in the cold." All the while, his hand never left mine.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to find it endearing how such a big, scary guy was awing over the simple things? Or was I supposed to feel intimidated about how he was ignoring the elephant in the room: I pissed him off and I wouldn't get away with it.

Around an hour later, my patience was running thin and Russia was still at his childishness. I was being dragged to the next stop when Russia saw something. "Look at that!" He said, pointing to a vendor down the street. The stand was decorated with a rainbow of flowers. "It's-" Then he did it: he let me go.

My hand felt cold without his gloved hand encasing it. While he ran off in sheer joy, I cradled my hand to my chest. All right, I was free now. All I had to do was just run off and hope he doesn't find me. I'll deal with the consequences when Alfred wakes up. But, as I was just about to pull up my skirt and make a run for it, I noticed something. There was no pain. For the first time in days, there was no pain in my palms.

Suddenly intrigued, I carefully unwrapped the white bandages around my hand. Sure enough, the blisters I earned forever ago were practically healed. There were dark marks on my skin- ghost of where they once were- but they did not hurt. In fact, the skin around them seemed harder, more durable. I was slowly developing calluses.

I would deal with it later. Now it was time for me to depart-

"Liechtenstein!" I groaned and smacked my forehead. Darn it! The only chance I had to escape and I wasted it on being a palm reader. Now I was pretty much going to have to stick around the guy until he let me go again. Then again, he was not holding me now. I could make a run for it.

"Liechtenstein!" Russia called out again. He was still at the flower vendor, waving his hand in the air like a flag in the wind. "Come over here! I have something I want to show you!" This time, there was something different about his smile. It did not appear creepy or extremely childish. No, this time it looked rather normal. Russia was smiling brightly and it fitted him. He just looked happy. I always wanted Stella to be that happy looking around me. The girl was never one to show very many emotions. She had been that way since the day I first met her.

Mom, Sherry, Jerry, and I had been going over to the Moon household to greet Ella's new 'wife,' a Japanese woman we would all call Nutella, and her daughter. I remembered standing there awkwardly, wondering how it was possible for two women to love each other the way they claimed to. It was so strange, so peculiar, that I ended up being the shy one with Jerry. I practically hid behind Mom as Nutella gently nudged a little girl with short black hair to the front. "This is my daughter," she said, speaking with a thick accent. "Sayaka, this is Mrs. Sue and her boys. Say hi."

Sayaka was small, a full head shorter than I was. Dressed in an obviously uncomfortable dress, she did a slow bow and looked up at us through her bangs. "_Konbanwa, _Mrs. Sue. My name is Sayaka Hoshi. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Without thinking, I blurted, "You have a weird name."

Mom immediately hushed me and pushed me further behind her. She tactfully jumped back and forth between apologizing and scolding me for being so rude. All the while, Sayaka slowly rose from her bow and gave me a curious look. "You think so?" she asked.

I ignored what my mother was trying to achieve- a good image with her daughter's friend's new parent -and walked right up to her. "Yeah, it's impossible to say," I told her, poking her forehead like I was drilling it into her head. "You need one that's easier."

Sayaka did not smile, though her eyes brightened ever so slightly. "Really? My mother says that since I am going to be living here now, I should have an American name. Do you know any Mr. Sue?"

Our parents exchanged glances as we hit off with such an inconsiderate conversation. Sayaka liked how I was making the effort to be her 'friend'. I liked how she was so ready to listen to me. "First off, call me Larry," I said, basking in the feeling of importance. "Second, it should sound a little similar to your name. You said it was Sayacky?"

She gently corrected, "Sayaka."

"Well it sounds a little bit like Stella, so that's what we'll call you now. Okay?"

"Stella Hoshi," The smallest of smiles I had ever seen graced her thin lips. "I like it," she said. "It sounds very nice."

Now standing in the middle of the street, I thought about that miniscule visage. I was still a little kid when that happened. At the time, I thought nothing of it. But now, it made me want to grin drunkenly. It was so cute, so precious. The fact that I had caused it left an even sweeter taste in my mouth. I looked back at Russia's smile. There was no way I could say no to something as precious as that. I had no other choice; I had to be honorable and stay by his side.

I kept that thought on my mind as I pushed my way through the crowd and to the man. In the process, I was assaulted by multiple elbows and shoving shoulders. I think that one of them was because I accidentally slapped someone's butt. Hence the accident part- there was no way I would purposefully slap some random's guys fine behind. . .

I was expecting a million things when I reached him. I expected him to be upset that I did not follow after him immediately. I thought that he was going to be sadistic and smirk about how his plan for Stockholm Syndrome was already taking place. But it was none of those. Instead, he stood there grinning with his hands hiding something behind his back. I knitted my eyebrows. "Russia, what are-"

"Surprise!" He held out a single flower to me. "This is for you!"

I stared at it. It was a sunflower. Its vivid yellow petals and fine smell assaulted my senses. I could not rip my eyes away from it. "Wow," I said. My efforts to hide how confused and touched I was made me sound awkward. "Is that really for me?" I asked.

He nodded happily. "Yup! It was pretty and it reminded me of you!"

I couldn't take it any longer. My eyes suddenly turned harsh as I shot him a toxic glare. "What's your deal here?" I demanded harshly.

Russia's smile faded into a frown. And his eyes! Those strangely violet irises were filled with sadness that could triumph the ocean depths. "What did I-"

"You're mad at me!" I yelled as I ignored the nagging feeling in my head. It told me that the captain was just trying to be nice. I had no right to bring something like this up again. But I had started something and I would be stupid to give it up now. "I thoroughly pissed you off the last time we met and yet you're acting as though it never happened." I took a step forward, rising on my tippy toes in to make the top of my head equal to his chin, He was so tall. "Why don't you just stop messing around and just stab me like you did to Denmark?"

For a moment, all Russia could do was stare. He looked down with shame as the sunflower fell limply from his hand. "I don't think you understand," he said. "I have no wish to hurt you."

"Then what's up with all this escort nonsense?" I snapped.

He winced, but did his best to appear calm and in control. "Liechtenstein, I believe that you have no idea how influential you are," he said. I blinked and felt myself lower back to my normal height. "You . . . you are simply incredible. Everyone I know paints you to be such a quiet and shy girl, yet that is not the case. You're brave, reckless even. You speak your mind with no regard to what everyone else has to say to you. You challenged me when no one else would dare. And I-" he delicately brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, "Admire you for that, Liechtenstein."

I stood there, consumed with a sick feeling. All this time, I believed that the guy was going to try to kill me, but now he was going to save me. Why? Because I was acting like my freaking self. I felt frozen. Everything he said about Liechtenstein was all me. We were in the same body, yet that was me doing everything he praised.

Russia admired _me._

His arm fell limply back at his side as the church bells rang and proclaimed the hour. "I might as well go back to the ship now," he said numbly. "Ship Repair Man Pangaea is probably going to give Belarus hell."

"What about the escort thing?" I asked. I tried to not sound desperate, like a lover who wanted her man to stay the extra minute. I would still prefer him out of my company, but I did not want to hurt his feelings any further. "Don't I have to-"

"I trust you, Liechtenstein." He forced a small, childish smile. Normally, I would be thinking about how creepy it looked. Now, it was only hollow. "I know that you will be back in time to ship out, yes?"

I had no other choice but to nod. "Yes sir."

My formalities made the melancholic look on his face grew deeper, but he pressed on. He wished one last goodbye before turning his back to me and going back into the crowd. He was lost within seconds. I stood there, feeling a little sadder myself. Feeling . . . hollow, empty inside. How was I supposed to know that he felt that way about me? He never said anything.

Without much thought, I picked up the abandoned flower off the ground. It truly was a beautiful flower, almost perfect in appearance. I lightly brushed the petals and smelled its sweet fragrance. I suddenly wished that I never dropped it in the first place. Mimicking all of the girls I have ever seen, I stuck it behind my ear. I felt ridiculous- a boy walking around with a flower in his hair. But there was a warmth in my chest, ordering me to keep it there. Maybe it was Lichtenstein, a girl who liked wearing sunflowers.

"You doitsu!" A scream quickly followed the loud bang of two men whose brawl ended up breaking down a door a few stores away from me. The crowd of completely innocent and unknowing humans naturally formed a circle around them, blocking my view. As if this was a WWE wrestling fight, they immediately started whooping and taking bets on who the winner was going to be.

For a moment, I seriously considered just walking away. It was their- the brawler's -problem and I had no right to interfere. Yet, there was only one group of people I knew that used the word 'doitsu' (whatever the heck _that _means) as an insult. Yup, that's right: my country hommies.

Remind me to never use that word ever again.

My shoulders dropped as I resigned myself to my fate. Picking up the skirt of my blue dress, I took a deep breath and dove into the crowd of spectators. The sea of bodies were hot and tightly packed. I bent down, trying to squeeze my way through their legs. At one point of time, my hand accidentally slapped some guy's butt. Again. What's worse, it was exactly the same guy I slapped before. He probably thought that some guy was sexually harassing him or something.

Oops.

When I finally made my way to the front, I finally saw who the fighters were. It was Switzerland (no surprise there) and Greece (that one's new). I watched as the blonde yelled swears, declaring the other to be the worse being who ever existed as he continually rammed his first into his face. Greece was a bit of an odd fighter. He looked rather bored as his face was turned purple. His main concern seemed to be getting Switzerland into a headlock. A very passive approach. At that moment, I really wished that I had a little money with me. That way, I could place a bet in for Switzerland.

"Switzy! Brat!" The crowd grew even more excited when Turkey came out from the building- a dark bar. He looked extremely angry, the angriest I had ever seen him. I wanted to say that he was drunk, but he held himself so impeccably that no Buckingham soldier could compete. Furrowing his eyebrows, the Turk cracked his knuckles, growling, "There is no way in hell I'm going to let you punks beat the shit out of each other."

Any guesses to how he was going to stop them?

If you guessed that he threw himself straight into the fight with raised fists, then you are completely right. The crowd went wild. Three rather handsome guys were beating each other up for no apparent reason! Was there any form of entertainment better than that?

Unlike those uncouth savages, I was completely horrified by the display. My father risked his life writing stories about violence in other countries. How big of an idiot do these guys had to be to start the bloodshed themselves? Do they have no respect for humanity?

I had enough. With no other place to go, I walked across the fighting ring and into the bar. If three countries came out from there, then the chances were that there were more. The crew was the kind of people who were attracted to booze the way flies are attracted to light. Ad what do you know-The moment I stepped inside, I was assaulted by the awful stench of alcohol. I coughed. While my eyes adjusted to the near darkness, I rid myself of the toxic fumes with a waving hand.

Eventually, I was able to make everything out.

I was not impressed.

It looked like the traditional port-side tavern with poor lighting, stuffy air, and excited patrons. Standing or sitting at the tables, the countries held giant glasses of beer, whiskey, scotch, and anything else that could kill a liver with sophisticated suave. Yet, they waved their arms around in enormous motions as they practically yelled their entire conversation. It was so loud that I could barely hear the whooping crowd outside. Ten bucks said that they were stoned.

I did a quick scan, checking to see if the Netherlands was anywhere. I was actually a little disappointed when his blond tuft of hair was nowhere in sight. Darn it; he was the one person I would not mind spending more time with. Where was he when I needed him the most? In the end, I evidently decided that the best place to hang out was the bar itself.

I guess I was in luck this time; Ukraine was there! She sat at the bar, cradling a tall glass of what looked to be a creamy beer. She was politely smiling at Hong Kong as he talked about Asian stuff. Not that I really cared though, I just wanted to sit down somewhere and not look like a loner while doing it. I took the seat next to hers and took the flower from my hair. I absently petted the petals, enjoying the feeling of their soft texture. I never realized until now how pretty sunflowers were.

". . . so in conclusion, he's, like, acting really weird," Hong Kong finished. He quickly took a sip of his drink. "I have no idea what's wrong with him. He's never been this distant."

Ukraine wistfully sighed. "He's a bit of a stressed guy," she told him. "This is THE WAR, Hong Kong. _Everyone _is just a little bit stressed."

She watched as the stoic man in red shook his head, saying, "I know that, but I've seen him act better than this. I think he, like, has insomnia now or something. I can tell that he's completely exhausted right now. He barely sleeps at night. And when he does, it's usually at odd times and very unpleasantly. Ukraine, that's totally not like him."

She grimaced. "Well. . ."

"Hey there, gal," a woman, the bartender, said. I jumped in shock, causing Ukraine and Hong Kong to suddenly notice my presence. Great, now I had to explain myself to them. I glared at the bartender, ready to snap at her when I noticed her odd appearance. This woman was rather plump with dark brown skin and bleach blond hair. She was wearing an obnoxious green dress and apron that matched her sky blue eyes.

I gulped, trying not to feel intimidated. "You scared me," I said monotonously.

She shrugged. "I'm just makin' sure that you ain't drunk," she told me. "But anyways, welcome to Pangaea's Bar. I'm Bartender Pangaea. How may I help ya?"

I stared at her. "You've gotta be kidding me," I said before promptly banging my head on the wood counter. "Is something as stupid as this really in this universe?"

Two sharp nails pinched the soft skin of my ear and pulled me to the side. I gasped and looked at my attacker, Ukraine. She with the big breasts was scowling, sending me a glare with her narrowed blue eyes. In a low voice, she growled, "How dare you. Bartender Pangaea is a sweet girl, Liechtenstein. How dare you insult her so cruelly. Apologize." She pulled on my ear again, for emphasis.

I yelped and banged my palms on the bar. "Okay, okay! I get it now!" I screamed, feeling the nails go in deeper. "I'll apologize!" But she did not release me. Instead, Ukraine tugged harder. I swore. "Okay! Okay! I get it! I'm sorry, Pangaea! I didn't really mean that- Oh God, release my ear now, woman!"

At last, she set me free and I placed my head on the counter. I heard Bartender Pangaea laughed. "It's completely fine, lass. I get comments like that every day," she said. "How about I get ya a glass of something cold to ease the pain, eh?"

I mumbled a reply.

Ukraine smacked me. "Speak politely and clearly," she ordered. She was like a much stricter version of my mother. At least _she_ never dared to hurt us physically. I groaned. "Now, Liechtenstein."

Grumbling, I lifted my head and glared at the bartender. At that point, I highly doubted that Belarus would be able to triumph the death vibes in my eyes. "No thank you," I said, loudly and clearly. "I would rather not be drinking alcohol at such a young age, but thank you for thinking of me in my time of need, even though I did not deserve it. Thank you, Bartender Pangaea." I slumped back down again.

Ukraine sighed. "I didn't think you'll go so far," she muttered. Her delicate hands shook my. "Come on now, get up," she softly ordered, sounding more like Mom than what I thought possible. "It's not the end of the world." I sighed. At this point, the best thing to do is just follow every order she gives me.

"What are you doing here?" Hong Kong asked, frowning. "Aren't you supposed to have, like, an escort or something?"

I continued to frown. "I did, but then Russia decided to go off and-"

"My brother was escorting you around?" Ukraine demanded. She sounded both shocked and pleasantly surprised all at once. Her white hand reached out and picked up the sunflower. "That must be why you have this," she said, smiling softly. "Sunflowers are Russia's favorite."

"Can I have that back?" I demanded, glaring. Her smile only grew as she chuckled and handed it back. I placed it back in my hair where it was safe from people who liked to hurt me. Like her.

"Do you and Russia have I thing going on right now?" Hong Kong asked. He nonchalantly took a long drink from his glass before saying, "I thought that you and Belarus were going to become a couple."

I flushed. "There's nothing going on between any of us!" I snapped. "And why do you idiots always think that Belarus and I are dating?"

He shrugged. "I never said dating. Most of the relationships around here are just two people who decide to become sex partners. Like friends with benefits."

I unconsciously placed an arm over my chest, asking, "Do any of you dimwits have any moral standard to live by?" This time, I happily ignored Ukraine when she gave me another low warning.

"In case you have forgotten, most of us here are, like, over a hundred years old," he said. There was no spice in his voice, though brown eyes, framed with bushy eyebrows, looked a little offended. "What do you expect us to be? Saint Francis?"

"With your status, yes."

He leaned in, trying to look intimidating while there was a set of boobs right in his facial space. "Look, Liech, I don't want to make an enemy of you," he said, eyes focused on me. "But when Netherlands is awake, he spends all of his time looking at you. I don't want to presume anything, but if you ever think that you have a chance with him, then you are wrong. He's mine and I'll be damned if I lose him to you."

If I was drinking something, I would have choked and spit it onto Ukraine. "Are you implying that there's something going on between us?" I screeched. I wanted to hit something. I wanted so badly to bang my head against a wall until my brain was oozing out of the cracks. "I'm not in a relationship him!" I yelled, loud enough for everyone in the noisy bar to hear me. "I have no idea why you punks keep on thinking otherwise!"

He chuckled. I gaped at Hong Kong as he slapped his hand over his mouth and suppress his laughter. It wasn't working, causing him to resort to banging his hand on the counter. Bartender Pangaea asked us to stop abusing it. His mirth only made me angrier. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

His composure came back. The Asian straightened his back and cleared his throat, mutinously saying, "Since I am always in the crow's nest, I get to watch everyone while they're on deck. I've noticed that you, like, loose your temper very quickly over the silliest of things." His finger traced the rim of his glass. "I wanted to see for myself how long it would take me to get you that angry. And to no one's surprise, it only took a few sentences."

I didn't even think- I didn't have to. Wordlessly, I climbed off of my stool and walked away. I was pissed. I was so mad that this jerk would purposefully try to make me upset. Who did he think he was? I was so wrapped up in my hatred that I couldn't even take pleasure in the sound of Ukraine giving him a scolding of a lifetime.

"_This sucks," _I thought angrily, storming back onto the street. The fight was long over and the crowd had returned to its quick current of people. Hunching, I stormed back in the direction of _The Romanov. _There was no point in staying here any longer. To hell with Italy- the only thing I wanted now was to curl up on my hammock and fall asleep with Sokka at my side.

I paused. Where was Sokka anyways? Usually the little feline was trotting alongside my legs. Now that I thought about it, I don't think that it even left the ship. It just sat on the deck and watch me be dragged off with Russia.

"Hey Liech!" My thoughts broken, I noticed that Denmark was at the alley to my side. He was leaning against the building wall, basking in the cool shade. He flashed me his best grin, asking, "So what are you doing out here alone?"

I stared at the bandage at his shoulder. All over again, I could smell the blood in the air. The design of the dagger hilt was engraved onto my palm. I could see the red gushing out of his shoulder. Switzerland said that it would take a few more days to heal, but how long would it take for the violence to leave me? "_You should be stronger than this," _A voice in my head said. "_Dad can stand this easily. If you're so strong, then why can't you?"_

I took a deep breath and, without forcing the memories away, answered, "I'm just heading back to the ship. There's nothing left for me to do here."

His smile grew with pleasure. "Would you like something to do?" he asked.

I felt bad. The imaginary scent of blood was making me want to barf. Maybe it was just my period acting up again. Crap, did I drink my tea this morning? Still, I refused to back down like a coward. Instead, I confidently nodded. Immediately, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the alley. I did my best to keep up as he dragged me through the labyrinth, taking me deeper and deeper into the mazes between the houses. "Where are we going?" I asked, trying to take deeper breaths than what my corset would allow.

He turned back to be and gave me another good look at his teeth. "Somewhere alone."

That was when it clicked. "Where's your escort?" I demanded, sounding more scared than what I would have liked. It made sense now. I was so wrapped up in my knife memories that I forgot about the time in the prison cell. He sexually harassed me before The Netherlands and Prussia busted him. And now, this was part two.

I did what every stranger danger course taught me to: scream. "Let me go!" I yelled, digging my hands into his flesh. He didn't stop. "Someone! Help me! Help!"

Denmark suddenly stopped. In one swift motion, he turned around and forced me against the wall. "Why are you yelling?" he asked. "I'm not doing anything wrong."

I shook my head, yelling, "You have every intention of violating me-"

He placed a hand of my mouth. "Be quiet!" He pleaded. "If you would just listen to me, you would understand."

I struggled against his grip, trying to get his hands off of my shoulders. "I don't want to understand. Just let go of me!"

The blonde groaned. "I just want one thing from you! So please just stop-" I realized that he was starting to lean in. This punk wanted one thing alright: Liechtenstein's virginity.

"_Mind giving me a little hand here?" _I asked, trying to send my message back to the girl. I didn't hear a reply. I thought for a second that my body as going numb for her control, but it went away as quickly as it came. "_Oh no. Don't tell me that you used up all of your energy flipping Alfred." _Again, she didn't say anything. She couldn't. Frack!

It was all in my hands now. I tried again to get myself loose, yelling out one last "No!" That did it.

In a split second, Denmark was ripped away from me and on the ground. It took me a second to realize that the one who saved me was not Liechtenstein or some other kickass, virtuous angel. It wasn't even Alfred, the guy_ meant _to always help me out. No, no, no; this time it was Turkey.

Why was it always him?

Turkey was kneeling over Denmark, his foot crushing the middle of his chest. One of his curved swords was under his chin and pressed against his white neck. I don't think I ever seen him so angry before in my life. His teeth were bared and his amber eyes spoke of hatred. "No means no, bastard," he sneered. Denmark opened his mouth, ready to object when Turkey smashed the hilt of his sword into his face. It wasn't enough to kill him- thank God for that -but the blond was out cold.

I flinched as Turkey slid his sword back into its sheath. That was violent, that was unnecessary. Couldn't he have done something a little bit nicer? Sorry if I sound like a pansy for thinking that, but the closed eyes of the Dane made me feel uneasy. What if he never woke up again? Turkey gave a satisfied smirk and looked up at me. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Did he hurt or touch you?"

I held everything back as I shook my head. "He really didn't." I bit my lip. Should I ask? Well why not? He did look as though he was expecting more from me. "But why? Why would you, out of all people, save me?"

Turkey lightly shrugged. "It's very simple really." He stood, dusting the dirt off of his hands. "You said no and a guy has to appreciate that."

"But you never leave me alone when I say it to you."

His smirk grew. "Well, you never outright said no," he said. I scowled. Stupid perverted old fag, thinking he can get away with something like that. I was saying 'no' and he knew it. "But I guess there's another reason behind it all," he added. He nervously scratched the back of his head as I light blush appeared on his cheeks. I suddenly had a bad feeling about it. "I was a little worried there, actually," he said. "I heard someone screaming and I thought that it was you, so I just came over to check."

"So you only saved me _because _it was me?" I asked, my forehead creasing with confusion. That didn't sound right. In fact, it sounded like motivation for a lover interest. Oh God, if Turkey ended up being just that, I was going to hit him.

Again, the Turk could only shrug. "Well it's more like I only saved you because you are Switzy's little sister. If you were anyone else, I wouldn't have given a shit." I opened my mouth, but he cut me off. "Well I better get this jackass back onto the ship," Turkey declared, quickly lifting the unconscious man over his shoulder. "Ukraine would kill me if I just left the infirm here."

I watched his start to walk away, the body swaying with his steps, when I finally spoke up. "You really like Switzerland-" he paused. "-Don't you?"

Turkey turned back to me. This time, he was frowning. He didn't look annoyed or upset, just pleasantly surprised. "I wouldn't necessarily say that I like him," he told me. "I just don't want to see him upset."

"Why?"

His eyes suddenly found his feet to be very interesting. Lightly kicking the ground, he appeared to be struggling to find an explanation. When it came, I wasn't all that surprised. "I just like it when he's at ease," he softly said. He jumped, as if realizing what he was saying. "Forget I said all of that bullshit," he told me before once again starting his walk back. "It really means nothing much. See ya!" And he quickly ran off.

For a while, I just stood there. So Turkey really does like Switzerland, but he wouldn't admit it? "_That's. . . kind of sweet." _I immediately shook the thought out of my head. "_No Larry. Homosexuality is _not _sweet. It's gross and unholy." _I groaned, rubbing my forehead. This was becoming too much. At this point, the best thing to do would be to get my butt back onto the ship and wait everything out. Like I _originally _intended.

The only problem was that I had no idea where to go. When I said that the alley was a freaking maze, I was not kidding. I literally had no idea which direction would take me to a dead end or back onto the streets. As irritating as it was, I still did have a few hours to get back. I could take my time getting out. Following the rules of a tumblr post, I placed my right hand on the wall and started trailing it. Apparently this was some sort of trick to getting through any sort of labyrinth. Hopefully, I wouldn't run into any David Bowies along the way.

Ha, ha- I hate that movie.

My only problem was that after an hour of endlessly meandering, I was no step closer to finding the exit. Swearing, I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. "This blows," I muttered, pulling my hair. "This is a freaking ally- there has to be a way out." For a moment, I did nothing but pout and sulk. But then I heard it.

". . . you would just have to trust me on it," a voice said. My head shot up. It sounded as though it came from close by. "Yeah, yeah, but this is the best solution." . . . Wait. Wasn't that Alfred?

I immediately sprung to my feet. He was awake! And that bloody idiot was going to get my sorry butt out of here even if it was the last thing he ever did. I ran as fast as I could, seeking the source of my dear mentor's voice. I few times, I turned down the wrong alley and found out that it was only growing softer. I few times, I considered calling out for him, but Alfred was talking to someone. I had no idea who- it seemed like a one sided conversation -but it was making him talk like a mature adult. I wanted that person to stay around as long as possible just so that I can get a small glimpse of him.

"_What if it's Gilbert?" _I thought. I distinctively reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around the little glass vial. If it was Gilbert, then all of this would be over and I would never have to worry about any gross pervert ever again.

At last, I turned a sharp corner and found them. Alfred was standing with his back to me, blocking my view of the other man. He looked tensed, occasionally glancing at the ground where Sokka sat. Even my cat looked rather tentative as he spoke.

"Listen: I really think that you're over thinking this," Alfred said, speaking like a businessman at a meeting. "I thought that we both agreed that this will be the most effective solution. I'll even take the down fall if we're wrong."

The mystery dude groaned. "That's not what I'm saying," he said. My ears perked. That voice. . . why was it so familiar? "If you would get your head out of your ego, then you would also be concerned how risky of a move this is. You know how much he doesn't like her."

Alfred shrugged. "Yeah, but even he'll have to admit it'll work." Sokka meowed loudly and scratched his leg. The blonde swore and reached down to grasp the bleeding wound. "Why are you so worked up?" he spitefully demanded, seemingly talking to it. "You're a cat. You have better things to be worried about."

At that point, I thought that it would be a good idea for me to announce my presence. At the same time, something deep down told me that this was something top secret that I should never have witnessed. Yet, I felt as though that whole entire conversation was about me. I backed tracked until I was out of view before calling out Alfred name.

As if I had never been there before, I turned the sharp corner and down the alley towards him. Alfred was standing there, holding an unhappy Sokka in his arms as he grinned largely. The mystery man was nowhere to be found. "Hey there Larry!" He called out, running up to meet me. "What the heck are you doing here by yourself?"

I skidded to a halt and placed my hands on my bent knees. Panting heavily, I said, "It's a long story, but I think I'm lost. What are you doing here?"

His visage only grew wider. "Looking for you, of course!" He practically yelled. "I mean, how unheroic for me to be out cold while the damsel goes off into the new port alone! Naturally, I had to find you just to make sure that you didn't get kidnapped by some slave traders or something. You know, I once saved a bunch of slaves back in the day. See here, I was . . ."

I frowned and tuned him out. He was lying to me. Maybe. He could have had full intentions of finding me but ran into that guy along the way. But why didn't he tell me that in the first place? Why go off on a rant about the Slave Trade in the New World? "_Because he's Alfred." _True that, brain.

". . . anyways, it's kind of boring in here," Alfred said. He handed me my cat before taking my other hand. "Now step back and let the hero guide the damsel back to safety."

I scowled. "You do realize that I'm still a guy, right?"

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how heroic I am." I sighed and let it go. The journey that I spent an hour on and didn't even complete took Alfred less than a minute. In my defense, I did most of the work for him. Somehow . . .

We stepped back out into the shopping district, relieved to be out of that cramp space. Whoever was the idiot who thought alleys were a good idea should be shot. "Was that easy or what?" Alfred asked, hands on his hips and laughing like a cocky jock. "I don't see what you were so worried about in the first place."

I scowled and slapped his shoulder. "Shut up." His only response was another laugh. "So what are we supposed to do now?" I asked. Sokka meowed and I was forced to drop it. It gave a refined swish of the tail before puttering off into the crowd. Its little puff of fur disappeared easily. Hopefully, it'll come back.

My mentor, meanwhile, placed a hand on his chin, looking up through the frames of his glasses. "Well we have two choices," he said. "We can either go back to the ship, hang out some place and do something fun, or we can go look for that Gilbert guy."

A bubble of excitement gathered in my stomach. "Can we really do that?" I asked, squealing like a little girl. I really couldn't complain because in a sense, I kind of was.

A small, almost prideful smile replaced his cocky one. Reminding me of a father to his child, he ruffled my hair. "Sure thing, Lar. You got that vial thing on you, right?" I nodded. "Alright, let's get started."

At first, neither one of us were quite sure what we should do. It was not as if we could go up and ask someone what their name was. Yet, that was exactly what Alfred's plan was. He quickly taught me how to ask someone what their name was in Italian (don't ask me how he knew) and we went around to random people. All of them gave us a confused look before either quickly stating it or harshly demanding in a foreign tongue why we would want to know. When that happened, we would shoot out some gibberish about how we confused them for someone else before moving on to the next. I wanted to skip the women (what was the point of asking a girl if she had a guy name?), but Alfred insisted that we covered everyone.

Time passed and eventually the sun sank lower in the sky. Sunset was coming soon and our time to search was running out. Our lack of results was making me feel a little discouraged, but I forced myself to continue on. There had to be a Gilbert somewhere. There were probably hundreds of Gilberts out there, but Erwin made it out as though I would know which one was the one I wanted automatically. So following that logic, why not just ask whoever felt right to me?

That ended up being a guy in navy blue with his broad back to me. Swallowing, I walked straight up to him and tugged on his long shirt sleeve. _ "Come ti chiama?"_ I asked, speaking the worse Italian ever known to mankind. Like I think I was causing Dante- the guy who pioneered the everyday usage of that -to roll over in his grave.

The guy casually turned to me, saying, "Wow, Liech. You have the worse Italian I have ever heard in my life." I tensed, realizing that my 'follow your senses' trick led me straight into the care of Prussia. I didn't care what anyone had to say. I was one hundred percent sure that this guy was not Gilbert.

I coughed and looked down at the cobble street. "I'm sorry," I squeaked, trying to act like a shy little Liechtenstein (not the kind that can easily kick my butt). "I thought that you were someone else."

"Really?" he threw his head back and laughed. "How many incredibly handsome albinos do you meet daily?"

I didn't have an answer for that. If he was like every other guy, he probably believed that I had a major crush on him. But in Hetalia Country language, that would translate into me wanting to get into his pants. The safest thing for Liechtenstein's and my virginity would be to quickly change the subject. "So what are you doing over here?" I asked. Hands folded behind my back, I childishly tried peeked around his body. "What were you looking at?"

For once, I heard him give a nervous chuckle as he stepped in front of me, hands outstretched. "Oh. The awesome wasn't looking at anything in particular. . ."

I rolled my eyes. "Then why are you trying to hide it from me?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you!" His light voice was on the border of gleeful chuckles and frantic yelling.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll leave it alone." Prussia smiled and lowered his arms. l swiftly ducked under his arms. I heard him cry a noise of surprise as I ran the few steps to the window he was looking at. I laughed, saying, "So what are you . . ." I paused.

There were a millions things I would expect Prussia to be looking at. All of them were not very kid friendly and often involved some lady in sparse clothing. I remembered Dad telling me once that the red light district in Switzerland had their prostitutes right up at the windows like the statues in clothing stores. That was one of the things I expected of him. But I never thought that Prussia would be looking at a stationery store.

Right behind the clear glass were displays of fine paper and feather pens. They were blank leather bound journals and extravagant ink bottles. I pressed my nose up against the glass. I was partly in awe of how beautiful many of the utensils were and partly amazed at Prussia. Why was he looking at things like this?

I turned away from it and looked at him, asking, "Prussia. . . what is all of this?"

The man scratched the back of his head, looking down at the ground. The light around us was fading quickly and we would have to return to the ship soon. "I overheard you the other day asking Netherlands if you could use his paper and pen," he confessed. "And I just thought that maybe I should . . . you know, buy some for you."

A warm feeling gathered in my chest. He thought of _me. _He noticed that there was something that I really wanted and he was going to get it for me. No one has ever been that thoughtful towards me. It has always been what Sherry wanted or what was best for Jerry. No one ever thought about Larry.

Prussia bit his lip. "So . . . do you want it?" he asked. I was still processing what he was telling me. "And it's not because I'm uncontrollably in love with you and hope you bear my children or anything," he quickly added, his pale face turning an amusing shade of red. "I'm just doing this because I'm awesome!"

I smiled. "Only get it if you want to," I said. "I don't want to be a burden." Prussia grinned stupidly and wordlessly ran into the store. I stood there, laughing at ourselves. I swear, he was so much like a little child.

"What are you doing?" I stopped laughing and looked up at Alfred. He looked a little ticked and he had every right to be so. "I thought that we were supposed to be looking for Gilbert."

I frowned. Alfred seemed to loom over me. It was as if he had finally kicked his butt into gear. His blue eyes were hard and the air around him was somber. "Larry, I don't know what you're doing, but we have to find this guy," he told me. His words- so cold -made me feel so much smaller than him. "So please, just for me, try to stay concentrated on the task at hand."

Alfred may have been incredibly freaky, but he made the fatal mistake of wounding my pride. "I would like to follow your example, Alfred," I said. "But then I remember that you are the idiot who wants to fix Ukraine's love life." I flinched when I noticed that his hands were tightly clenched into fists. Oh crap, he was going to hit me.

"I got it!" Prussia ran out of the store, waving a little box around in the air. He was laughing like a lovesick puppy. "What do you think, Liech?" he asked, ignoring Alfred and handing the box to me. "I got you a little journal to write in and a quill and some ink and a pencil. What do you think?"

I did my best to ignore the pissed off blond as well and opened the little box. I was very pleased. The journal was big enough to comfortably write on, but small enough to fit into most of my dress pockets. The ink bottles were ordinary, but there were two of them, so I didn't have to worry all that much about running out. I would have to learn how to use a quill- this one was the typical sharpened white feather -but I bet that the Netherlands would be more than happy to help. The pencil was simple, but it looked sturdy. "This is perfect," I breathed, giggling with excitement. I could finally write again!

Prussia grinned and patted my back. "I'm glad you like it- oh hey Alfred. What are you doing here?"

Alfred glared at him for a second before quickly concealing his anger with his usual stupid visage. "I was just coming around to say that we're due back at _The Romanov _in a half hour," Alfred said, unsettling smooth and oblivious. "You two should probably head back soon."

Prussia nodded. "Yeah, we should." He placed a hand on my back and ushered me away, saying, "Let's go Liech. The awesome me has had enough with Sicily for one day."

I looked behind us. "Sure, but where's Sokka?" And that's when I heard the meowing. Sighing, I quickly bent down and lifted it into my arms. "Where did you go, big guy?" I asked, juggling the animal and my small box. "You're always disappearing on me." It only nuzzled the crook of my neck and purred.

Prussia did the talking for the whole walk back. In a way, that was how he was similar to Alfred: he knew too many stories and rants that intertwined with each other. The whole time, I silently nodded and concentrated on not dropping anything. I couldn't wait to find a quiet moment to just write about this whole mess. I felt more and more insane every moment I didn't.

"Well that's odd." I hummed and looked up at him. His red eyes were focused on _The Romanov. _"There's already a lot of people up there," he told me.

I squinted my eyes against the glare of the setting sun to see the silhouette of most of the crew. "I don't see how that is strange," I said.

"Well maybe it's different with the Red Coats, but us Brown Coats are never on time for anything. When Russia gives us a specific time, it's usually an hour earlier than needed just so that we all do things within the time limit."

"So everyone's on time today?" Sokka started squirming in my grasp. I put him down, asking, "Why would that happen?"

He frowned. "It means that something important is happening." His cold hand wrapped around my free one. "Come on," he urged, dragging me up the plank-thing to the deck. "Let's see what's going on."

The crew members were gathered in a circle around the deck, preventing me from seeing who it was. There were a few mutters going around- people either excited or nonchalant about the change. As I stood on the tips of my toes in a vain attempt to see past everyone's shoulders, Prussia tugged on someone's shirt and asked him what the commotion was about. "Russia hired another crew member," the someone, Turkey, said.

We exchanged confused looks. "Wait, so there's another civilian on the ship now?" Prussia asked.

Turkey peeled his eyes away from the event- most likely the person -and nodded. "Yeah. Something just possessed him and he suddenly hired this girl to help Ukraine in the kitchens and do other girly chores," he said. He folded his arms over his chest, muttering, "I don't see why I can't do it. I love cooking."

"Probably because you unawesomely tease her about her boobs. Like every day."

To my disgust, Turkey huffed and rolled his eyes. "Like it matters. But anyways, have you seen her yet?" He asked. "I'm not big on the whole civilian thing, but she is kind of cute."

I shook my head. "No, we haven't," I told him. My curiosity was blazing with want. Who was this person anyways and what made her so special? "I can't even see over everyone's shoulders."

"I think the hero can help with that." I jumped as Alfred placed to hands on my waist. As he used his incredible strength to lift me onto his shoulders, I could not notice how happier he looked. It was as if there was no scary mentor accident barely fifteen minutes before. "Tell me what you see up there!" He said, smiling stupidly.

I gulped and looked over the crowd.

I couldn't believe what I saw.

Russia and Belarus were there. Belarus stood to the side, hands folded respectfully in front while she looked on with an unreadable face. Russia, meanwhile, paced a little as he listed of the terms and conditions with the new crew member. Is not your slave, cannot participate in battles, is a human and therefore will break, etc.

The girl stood at the center, clutching a small sack in her hands as she watched her new boss pace. She was dressed in a ratty old green dress with her hair frizzing up at the sides. She looked a little nervous, unsure of what to do. She constantly shifted her weight from foot to foot, eyes darting to every person in the crowd. Suddenly, she looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine.

My blood ran cold.

It was not a hateful gaze. In fact, it was one of understanding. Something about me seemed comforting to her since she smiled and waved. But I could not move. I could not find the strength in me to lift my hand and wave back. I thought I heard Prussia and Alfred ask who she was, but my mouth was dry.

A little part of me felt dead inside, because . . .

Russia paused and finally outstretched a hand to her. "And so, if with no other condition, I am proud to introduce to you all Agatha Stu."

. . . that was my sister.

* * *

**MW: **I would like to imagine that none of you guys saw that one coming, but your reviews say otherwise. That's alright. I always have that one plot twist that everyone sees coming.

**BFTL: **But at least no one will see the Alfred twist—

**MW: **Don't spoil anything. Since every chapter I get a review asking about this, I'll just make something clear right now: I know what I'm doing. Alfred right now might seem out of place, but when I reveal what's up with him, it'll all make sense. Trust me.

**SEK: **But like what she said earlier, if you apply what happened in FG to this story, you can probably figure out a lot of the plot twists beforehand.

**MW: **I think we're done with hints for today. Thank you for reading!

**Notes**

"Konbanwa" Good evening. Japanese.

"Come ti chiama?" What is your name? Italian.

**Next Chapter: **Larry tries to make sense of Agatha's appearance, trying to figure out if she's Sherry or something else entirely.


	6. Everyone Wants the Liech

**MW: **77 reviews? Already? Oh my—thank you so much everyone!

**SEK: **We are all very excited for this chapter. Not as excited as we will be for the next, but you all wanted to know what was going to happened, so. . .

**MW: **You know, that's what I hate about writing chapters in advance. You are already all wound up over something that hasn't happened yet and you want to share your excitement with the readers, but they haven't read it yet.

**BFTL: **You live such a pitiful existence.

**MW: **Thanks, that makes me feel so much better.

**SEK: **We all hope that you enjoy!

**Chapter Summary: **Larry tries to figure out what's going on with his sister, which leads to a few very awkward situations.

**Warnings: **Sexual themes, strong language, homophobia

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the Sues.

* * *

**~Chapter 6~**

**Everyone Wants the Liech**

"_Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet."_

**-Vietnamese Proverb**

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 11**

There were so many things wrong with this situation. Stella was in the hospital, I was trying to save her, and my sister was here with me.

It has already been twenty-four hours since she had joined this crew, yet my chest still ached when I thought about it. It was the late afternoon now and I had spent the whole day curled up in a small corner of the deck- between a crate and the sides. My knees were against my chest and Sokka was on my feet. The fact that she was here never left my head, haunting in the corner of every word I thought of. So many times I tried to gain the courage to leave my hiding place and confront Sherry about this, but I chickened out every time.

Using my new quill, I scribbled in my book every single coherent thing that came to me, trying to reason with this. Sherry was here and pretending to be Agatha. That meant that she made a contract with someone. The only two people I knew of that made contracts were Bud and Erwin. A spark of anger flared in my chest as I slammed my book shut. She was _here, _which means that those monsters had the balls to harass my only sister. What did they use to persuade her? What kind of leverage would be worth this? What does she have to do?

I ran my hands through my hair and groaned. Stupid! Why couldn't she keep her nose out of _my _business? Why couldn't she just let me handle something by myself for once? This is _my _fight, not hers. That stupid jerk!

A shadow suddenly appeared over me. "There you are!" Alfred said, grinning happily at me. "Where have you been all day? I've been looking for you everywhere. You practically stopped talking to me yesterday and I just wanted to make sure you didn't get kidnapped or anything."

I released a tensed breath of air. "Go away, Alfred," I hissed, gathering my hair into my fists. "I want to be alone."

"Hell no." He squatted down to my height. His bright blue eyes glimmered in the sun, a contrast to the slightly more serious look on his face. "You are really emotional right now and I just can't let you do that. I'm the hero and the hero comforts people." He propped his chin on his hand and batted his eyelids. "So what's wrong?"

For a moment, I debated with myself if I even wanted to tell him. What could he even do about this anyways? But he was my mentor. It was his job to give me support when I needed it. I leaned back into the crate, sighing to myself. "It's really hard to explain," I said. "But that Agatha girl looks just like my sister."

"And there's something wrong with that?"

"Of course there is!" I winced, realizing that I said that too quickly and too loudly. A few people probably overheard that, but I was beyond caring. "If she's here then that means that Bud or Erwin contracted her. If they contracted her then that means there things are getting really bad back home. That means that I need to find this Gilbert guy, like, right now or else Sherry is going to screw everything up like she always does and Stella's going to die!"

Alfred gave me a look of pity, as if he really did feel bad for me. He gave me a fatherly squeeze of the shoulder, looking down at his feet. "I think that you're over thinking this," he said, refusing to meet my eyes. "If Agatha is your sister, then you need to respect that she made this decision. She may be an idiot, but I think she can handle herself. You haven't seen her yet, haven't you?" I shook my head. I didn't want to face her yet, explain what was going on. "Well if you hide like a coward from her then you'll never know what happened for sure."

"She shouldn't be here," I monotonously repeated, playing with the feather of my quill. These things were kind of cool, I wish I could do my math homework with this. "This is my fight."

We were silent for a long moment. Alfred didn't release the pressure on my shoulder, only sighed as he gnawed on his lip. The pain in my chest felt worse than ever. Sherry shouldn't be here. . . "Why don't we forget about her for a while?" He suggested, forcing an optimistic grin. "Like, have you figured out anything on the letter yet?"

"You mean 'He With Your Name'?" I asked, reaching into my pocket to get it out. "Not really. I wish that I could compare handwritings. Like look here." I opened it, intending to show him the lack of dots on the writer's 'I's, but I realized something else. "Oh God."

My mentor frowned and poked my cheek again. "Hey. What's a'matter now?"

"Sherry could have written this!" I said, practically jumping in my spot. My disturbance caused Sokka to meow in annoyance. "Don't you see? She and I have the same last name!"

He shook his head. "Lar, it's '_He _With Your Name'- as in a guy."

I held it up to him, saying, "I know that. In the English language, it is considered grammatically incorrect to refer to a genderless person as "they". Therefore, when using an unspecified example, grammar rules require that you use the male conjugations."

"Saywhat?"

"Simplified, Sherry could have been hiding her gender from me."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. I watched as he muttered a few annoyed words, something about me being an airhead. Like he was one to talk- this head was all empty space. "Your sister is the biggest idiot the world has seen," he said. "I highly doubt she would put that much effort into it."

This time, I was the one to frown in annoyance. "I never said that. She's stupid, but she's not _that _dumb. She's going to college after all."

"That girl really did amount herself to something then," he muttered, looking a little sheepish.

I carefully folded the letter again, making sure not to ruin it. There was something incredibly nerve wracking about the idea of Sherry being behind it. I didn't have the slightest clue as to how she even got it onto this ship days before Agatha showed up, but she could have done it. Maybe. . . The words of Alfred's mumbling suddenly hit me. "You act as though you know her," I challenged.

He smiled. "Well you know her and it's my duty to know you."

I frowned some more. "So you basically know everything about me?"

"Yup. Hey, why do you like that Sokka character so much? From what I can tell, he's nothing special."

I unconsciously reached down and stroked my cat's fur. Sending him a glare, I said, "Sokka is the best character from _Avatar. _How the frack do you even know about something that doesn't exist yet?"

"Excuse me?"

Startled, I quickly pressed myself deeper into my crevasse. The blood rushing through my temples deafened my ears. I held Sokka as close to me as possible as I watched Alfred turn to Sherry-Agatha. She was clothed in that same old ratty green dress as yesterday, but today there was a white band around her arm. Ultimately, she was the same girl that I grew up. Same ginger curly-qs framing the same freckle and acne spoiled face. She held herself the same way- her chin lifted high and shoulders rolled back like an adult.

Alfred smiled at her as he jumped to his feet. "Yo! Agatha!" he greeted, a little laugh in his voice. "Is something up?"

Sherry-Agatha (what do I call her? She's Sherry, but everyone's calling her Agatha) made one of those professionally polite smiles. "I'm actually looking for Liechtenstein," she said. My heart plummeted. Oh crap. "Do you know where she is?"

"_Don't tell her I'm here," _I silently begged, vainly hoping that his idiot brain will pick up telepathy. Did he? Nope, the punk simply laughed and took a step to the side. He didn't even look at me as he walked away, only continued his boisterous laughing. Sherry-Agatha (Okay, I seriously need something better to say) gave me a condescending look as if to ask why I didn't say anything sooner. I replied with a sheepish grin. "_Does she know it's me? Crap, what the hell am I supposed to do if she does? If she doesn't, do I tell her? Freaking- thanks a lot, Jesus!"_

She squatted to my height, giving me the same comforting smile she gives Jerry after a hard day at school. "Hi Liechtenstein, I don't believe we've met," she said. She extended her hand, saying, "I'm Agatha Stu. I work in the kitchens with Ukraine." Limply, I took an arm off of Sokka so that I can shake her hand.

It was cold. Colder than ice.

Agatha (that's how she introduced herself, so I might as well respect that) didn't seem to notice the goose bumps that ran up my arm. She said, "Ukraine noticed that you didn't come in to eat at all today. So I gotta get you down there to eat or else she's going to have both of our asses whooped."

I felt stupid. Oh. It was because I was turning into an anorexic. She (thus far) has no idea who I am. I laughed nervous and scratched the back of my head. "I really didn't realize that," I lied. "I guess I was so wrapped up in my writing. . ." We both rose to our feet, causing Sokka to scamper away. "But yeah, it'll be better if we just went there willingly."

Agatha wiped a hand over her forehead, giving an obvious sigh of relief. "Thank God! She's already hit me once for messing up the porridge."

My eyes narrowed. "She did what?"

"I was wondering what that odd taste was." Agatha yelped. My brotherly instincts pricked and I immediately jerked around to see the ever beloved Turkey. His stupid cocky smile was on high as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her close. If he noticed my glare and growl, he did not comment. Instead, he opted move his face closer to hers, saying, "As a fellow chef, I do have to say that I thought that the porridge was a little salty today."

Agatha's face was a bright pink. Wrinkling her nose with disgust, she jammed her hand into his face and tried to push him away. "I'll work on it, so would you let go of me?"

He looked up innocently. "I'm not so sure," he hummed. "I think you and I need to talk about some private lessons first."

Okay- that was it. No way in hell I was going to let him get away with a total Tahno moment. This pervert was hitting on _my _sister and I was _not _going to sit by and let her be victimized. Fuming, I marched right up to him and pulled Agatha away, sneering, "Get your hands off of her _now." _Turkey looked mildly surprised, as if this was a first for him. The hurt look in his eyes made me feel bad until Agatha literally hid behind me, sending him glares from a distance. I could see it behind my eyes: Sherry crying after one of her nightmares. I was not able to protect her that time, but I could protect her now. Harshly, I jabbed my finger at his chest, saying, "Russia said so himself that no one was to mess with her and that includes you."

He snickered. "Are you jealous, Liech?" He asked. When my hateful visage continued, his broad shoulder slouched and he smoothed out the wrinkles of his red shirt. "You really are serious then, right?" He asked, trying to sound brighter. I said nothing. With a sigh, "Just when I thought that we were reaching an understanding too."

I grimaced. "I know, right? I figured that a guy who knows what 'no' means would be far less of a dick."

I was pushing the envelope that time. Turkey frowned, losing all of his strained mirth. "Do we really have to go through this in front of the new girl?" He asked, pointing at Agatha. She jumped before trying to stand as straight and adultly as possible. "Come on, Liech. I'm trying to make a good impression."

"I don't really think sexually harassing a girl is the best way to do that," she added, becoming cool and composed. I watched her as she suddenly switched from being scared witless of a guy to regarding him in the same manner she regarded Erwin at the hospital. I was kind of in awe. This side of Sherry was still so new to me. I have never really seen her like this before and I had to wonder why. This side was so much better than the one that always obsessed over anime.

Agatha's even gaze never left Turkey's as she reached over and grabbed my hand. "I appreciate the lesson offer," she said. "But Ukraine can take care of me."

He smirked. Turkey took a single step forward until he was right in her space. Agatha started to move back, but she forced herself to stay at bay. It was a power play, one both of them were determined to win. I wanted to interfere- tell them both to knock it off but this was their battle, not mine. As much as I didn't like it, I had to stay back and let them sort it out.

That was the right thing to do, right?

"So you're one of those selfless people," he said. His tone was low, almost secretive.

She squeezed my hand and glare up at him at (he was a full head taller than her). "No, I just really don't want your perverted ass by me."

"Oh?" He took hold of her chin, forcing her face closer to his. "That's a shame," he said.

Something about his cold gaze made her eyes suddenly shoot downwards. Turkey won- he was the alpha. The man frowned and roughly released her face. With a sigh, he buried his hands in his pockets and took a step back, saying, "I thought so. You really are nothing more than just another boring old human."

Agatha opened and closed her mouth a few times. It was obvious she was thinking hard for a new comeback, but none was coming to her. At last, after a few moments of stumbling over her own words, Agatha closed her eyes and took a long breath. Through gritted teeth, she growled, "You know, I really hate assholes like you. You go around thinking that you're better than everyone else when you're not."

He shrugged. "I can't help that they're so dumb." He turned on his heels and started to walk away.

"You're going to fail one day." He paused. I gave the girl a strange look. Her eyes were narrowed, a dark glint in them. "One of these days, that stupid ego of yours is going to make you fail," she warned. "And you want to know something? When it happens, everyone's going to hate you so much that they'll just leave you there to burn."

Turkey looked back at her, giving her a nonchalant gaze. "Sorry, but the only thing I heard was one very big 'if.'" With that, he walked away without another word.

Agatha and I stood there, still holding hands. I was not sure what I was supposed to do. My sister not only fended the both of us from that jerk, but she also got away with threatening him. Where the heck did she get the guts to do any of that? I shook my head, reminding myself that I needed to focus on other things first. "Are you okay?" I asked, drawing her back to reality.

She turned back to me and smiled. "Don't worry, Liechtenstein. I'm fine."

"Well if that pervert ever even thinks about doing something bad to you, you tell me and I swear that I will beat him to a pulp."

Her lips curled upwards as she chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind-"

"Liech!" I sighed when Alfred came running back to me. Agatha seemed a little taken back at his hyperactive bouncing as he repeatedly shouted out my name. Lucky for me, I was already used to it- mostly. I tried a few times to tell him that I was listening, but my voice didn't penetrate his incredibly thick head. So I waited until he was burned out and able to stand still like a normal person.

Like a mother to her unruly child, I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. I said, "Yes, what is it, Alfred?

He grinned and excitedly waved his hands around in the air. "I finally figured out how we can find Ukraine's new love life!" He was so loud that every person on deck her him. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us with curiosity.

I did my best to ignore them and Agatha's questions. "Do I even want to know what it is?" I asked. When I look back, I realize how it should have occurred to me that any idea by him was to be immediately considered a bad one and treated as such. I should have sternly told him to forget it and get a real goal, like finding Gilbert.

But no, I did _none _of those things and because I did _none _of it, it entered his silly little brain as being a good idea. So what does the self-proclaim hero do? Easy, put it into action. Like a rag doll, Alfred lifted me by my armpits and placed me on top of the nearest crate. "Hey everyone!" He yelled over my objections. "Look at this!" He grabbed my dress collar and tore the front of it off.

My- excuse me, Liechtenstein's- chest was on full display.

I chose a fine day not to wear a corset.

Swearing words unfit for any age, I quickly shielded my bosom, trying to block-out the crew's hideous, obnoxious laughter. "_I am so sorry, Liech!" _I screamed in my head as I screamed at Alfred for being a douchebag. His look was apologetic, but he still did nothing to make up for it. No, he simply stood aside and let the embarrassment continue. "_I didn't think he would-"_

"Hey!" Everyone grew silent as Belarus's voice echoed across the deck. She was standing at the rails over the captain's quarters, idly toying with her knife. My blood ran cold like everyone else "You doitsus aren't here to bully You," she sneered. "Now get back to work before you become target practice." Everyone was smart enough to listen and do what she said.

I kept on switching my arm positions, fretfully trying to figure out a way to cover as much of myself as I could. "Oh shit, are you okay?" Agatha asked, rushing up to the crate. "Oh my God, shit. I should have done something," she rambled, stressfully wringing her hands together. "Oh man, I am so sorry. Here, let's get you down from there-"

"Here." A red shirt appeared around my shoulders. For a second, I revealed in its large size and beautiful red color. It also smelled nice too, like apples. My eyes traveled up the arm to reveal a familiar tuft of white hair. Prussia stood behind the crate, bashfully looking away from me. "Cover yourself," he ordered, pale cheeks turning a pink tint.

I quickly pulled it on, making sure that I didn't accidentally let a nipple pop out. The silk felt like heaven against my skin. It was so light that it made me feel as though I was wearing nothing at all. No sooner did my head appear through the opening did the albino reached over and pull me into his arms. I tensed, expecting him to do something wrong, but he merely hushed me. "Calm down, Liech. I'm not going to do anything," he said softly. "I'm just going to take you below deck. We'll get you some new clothes and you can snuggle with Sokka for as long as you need to, just calm down first." I gulped and grabbed his shirt, as if to tell him to hold me closer.

I couldn't calm down like he wanted, but I could trust him.

Prussia did not lose his air of respect when he turned to Agatha and ordered her to follow. I looked to see where Alfred was, just to see that he was being threatened by Switzerland while a shirtless Turkey and Denmark stood at the sidelines and placed bets. It was sad, really- Switzerland was so focused on keeping Liechtenstein safe that he didn't come to help her when she actually needed it. It would have been so much more helpful if he was doing what Prussia was doing now.

I felt safe in Prussia's arms as he silently carried me below deck, red eyes zoned in on the path before him. He completely ignored the kitchen and Ukraine's questions and marched straight down the stairs and into the crew's sleeping chambers. Through the dim light of the late afternoon sun, I could see that there was no one in there but us. Prussia gently placed me on my hammock, Agatha worriedly stopping a few feet behind him. "Are you alright?" He finally asked, bending down to my height. He placed two calloused hands on my cheeks and forehead, checking my temperature. "Who do I have to kill?"

As much as I would have loved to hand Alfred over, he was still my mentor and I was not going to get anywhere without him. It was like some sort of mildly abusive relationship (no offense). Sad, isn't it? Still, it was difficult for me to grind my teeth together and say, "No one. It's fine, really." I looked down at my shirt. "Can we get me some clothing now?" I asked awkwardly.

At last, that milky white skin of his turned red. Swearing, he turned around and went to another one of the crew's chests. "Sorry about that," he muttered, flickering it open. I think I heard him mutter a prayer to God as he rummaged through it, tossing out clothes and personal items.

Agatha loomed over him, knitting her eyebrows. "That's Italy's," She said, pointing at the gold-engraved name. "Why are you looking through there?"

"Well Hungary whooped my awesome ass when she found out that I stole her corset and dress," he said, pulling out a silky maroon shirt. "So I figured that if I'm going to have to steal clothes for Liech now, it should be from someone who wouldn't kill me." He tossed me the shirt, saying, "And besides, he's a little bit closer to your size than that bitch will ever be."

I scowled as he turned back to the chest. "You shouldn't say that about her," I snapped, pulling off my strange red one. Italy's maroon shirt was still pretty big on me, but at least I didn't have to worry about the skirt snagging on a nail. "She's actually kind of nice." The minute I had all of the buttons done, a pair of black slacks was thrown at my face.

"Well she was nicer before she hit puberty," he replied. He politely turned his back as I took off the rest of my dress and pulled the slacks on. Agatha simply watched me. It was a little creepy, but then I remembered that the both of us had boobs now. It must be a girl thing. Prussia replaced all the contents of Italy's chest, huffing, "I swear: the only purpose of a vagina is to make the entire female race a bitch."

"I'm not even going to comment on how politically incorrect that was." At last, I was completely dressed. Yes, I had to tuck my shirt into my pants so that I didn't look like a Link in a Goron tunic, but I'll live. I would, however, have to eventually tie a rope around my hips or else it might slip down to my knees.

Agatha smiled and gave me a nod of approval. "Looking good, Liechtenstein. I don't think I could ever look that pretty," she said, picking up the red shirt off the hammock. I frowned. Girls and their self-image problems. Why couldn't they realize that there is always sometime beautiful about them- even the Sue who didn't inherit Mom's stunning looks. "Hey Prussia, what should I do with this?" she asked, holding the shirt up to him.

Finally finished with the chest, he turned around and squinted at it. He did nothing but think for a short moment before giving her a light shrug. "Just give it back to Turkey."

Both of us chocked. "Turkey?" She practically screeched. "You borrowed this from _Turkey?" _In a way, I was thankful she was panicking. If she didn't say it, I would have.

He scratched his chin. "Yeah. The guy took one look at Liech, looked away, ripped off his shirt, and shoved at me, telling me to go save my girlfriend." He blinked. 'Shit, I said that last part aloud, didn't I?" We nodded. Prussia smacked his forehead, groaning and cursing his big mouth. "Stupid . . . okay, that was so unawesome for me to say," he declared, pulling out big fist-fulls of hair. "I'm just going to go onto deck now, see you later." And with that, he ran for the life of his dear image out of the room.

"Wait!" Agatha lifted the shirt into the air. "Take this with you!" But he was already long gone, footsteps no longer pounding on the stairs. Giving a long, defeated sigh, she sat down on the hammock next to me. "Well this sucks," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I really don't want to have to deal with that asshole again."

My need to be brotherly returned. Trying to be reassuring, I reached over and placed a hand on hers. "Just say the word and I'll beat him up for you." I grinned.

Her frown twitched into a smile as she chuckled. "Thank you, Liechtenstein. That reminds me-" She reached over and took something off the floor. "You dropped this when Alfred picked you up," she said, handing me my precious quill, ink, and book.

I bit my lip, trying to hide the gratitude of my visage. Jesus, how could I have left something like this behind? "Thank you so much," I gushed, quickly checking the inside. All of my pages were still there. Heck, even the sunflower that Russia gave me was still properly hidden between the pages. "Oh man, I have no idea what I would've done if I'd lost it."

"I know exactly how that feels." She pulled out a folded white piece of paper. "I don't know what I'll do if I ever lost this."

My mouth formed an 'o' as I stared at it. I could feel 'He With Your Name's' letter in my pocket, growing more and more crinkled with every movement. For a moment- one single, precious second -I let myself imagine that she had a similar one. Sherry had a message telling her to go to his ship, say she is Agatha, and find her brother. And then, for that one precious moment, I felt sick all over again. That would mean that she was here- invading my dream, taking over my mission.

That sick feeling almost made me too nauseous to ask what it was, but my curiosity was stronger.

Agatha blinked and looked at it. "Oh, this thing?" She asked. "Here-" She handed it to me. "Be careful, it's the only one I have." Resisting the urge to savagely rip the thing open, I calmly folded the paper.

My eyes went wide.

It was me.

In my hands was a pencil sketch of me, Larry Ebenezer Sue, dressed in fine old fashion looking clothing. I was sitting at an armchair in what appeared to be a sitting room, writing feverishly into a journal. My glasses were ancient and my hair was neatly combed. I looked rich, educated. I tried my best to hide the shaking in my hands.

Agatha leaned over, placing a stubby finger on my image. "That's my brother Ebenezer," she said. "My father, he's a very successful merchant. Travels a lot, earns a lot. Because my brother is the oldest male, he stands to inherit the family business and fortune. For years he had been exchanging letters with this girl in Japan. You see, Father had arranged it. He met a woman on his travels and thought that her daughter would make an excellent friend for him. A few months ago, Ebenezer ran away from home. In his goodbye letter he said that he was going to go marry her. I don't disapprove of his decision, but he needs to return home and take care of the family business. Oedipus- my other brother -has no interest in it and Ebenezer has been training for it his whole life. So I packed my bags and been making my way across Europe, looking for a ship that goes to Japan and will take a woman. Mr. Russia just happened to be the first person who didn't mind my presence at all. So here I am."

Agatha and I sat in silence for a moment. The girl scratched her neck. "Oh wow, I think that I just told you my life story," she said, nervously laughing. "I'm sorry. I'm sure that you didn't want to hear all of that."

I shook my head. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. Agatha and Sherry was not the same person- my sister was not here. Bud and Erwin did not get to her and she was safe at home. This was still my battle.

Yet, even when I applied that logic, I still hardly believed that Sherry and Agatha were two different people. They were just too similar to each other- like clones or doppelgangers. It gnawed on the corner of my mind, refusing to let go. Agatha was Sherry, Agatha was Sherry, Agatha was Sherry . . .

I did my best to hold my shaking hands steady as I hesitantly smiled. "No, it's perfectly fine," I said. I looked back down at the fine lines. "Did you draw this?"

"Yes I did. Drawing is my life."

My smile turned soft. Such a Sherry statement. If she wasn't my sister, then who was she? Was she a parallel universe version of her? Was I going to run into Ebenezer? Would something bad then happen to me? What if Agatha was only looking for her brother because in the real world, Sherry was looking for me? If something terrible happened to Agatha, would it affect Sherry? I gave her back the picture, trying to banish the thoughts. I shouldn't have to feel responsible for her. I should be focusing of bringing Stella back. So why was I so hung up?

Agatha graciously placed the picture back in her pocket, saying, "Maybe one of these days, I'll draw you." Her eyes suddenly locked onto Turkey's shirt again. Her smile seemed sadder when she sighed and shook her head. "That man," she muttered. "If he gave you this then he can't be such a bad person." Resigning herself to her fate, she grabbed it and slid off the hammock. "Well I better give this back to Turkey before he gets burnt."

"Wait." Agatha paused. I stared down at my lap, picking at the fabric of my pants. "If you are ever in any kind of trouble, come to me," I said. "I don't care what it is. I swear that I will find a way to help you."

"Wow, you seem really keen on helping me," she said. A small grimace found its way up onto her face. "But I'll keep it in mind. You do me a favor and get some rest now, okay?" I weakly nodded. Agatha leaned in and kissed my forehead and wished me a quiet goodnight. I felt like a little child as I watched her leave the room, her steps soft and careful.

Sighing, I laid down on my hammock, curling into a ball. "Meow."

"Stop being such an attention whore and just jump up," I said, beckoning Sokka to leap up next to me. I did not know when the cat got in here, but it did not matter much. I was actually going to take Sherry's advice for once. Sure, it was from her Doppelganger, but it was still a first.

When Sokka finally joined me, wrapped up against my stomach, I sighed and closed my eyes. Behind them, I could see flashes of every detail of my life right now. There was Stella, the vial, Erwin, Denmark, Russia, Sherry, Agatha, the letter- all of it was too much to handle. "I don't know what do it, Sokka," I whispered as I stroked its soft fur. "There's just too many things going on at once."

Its content purr was the melody I fell asleep to.

My dream was a beautifully cruel one.

It started out like a memory. Stella and I were in junior high. We had known each other for a few years at that point. She no longer referred to herself as Sayaka and I no longer had to correct her manners. Believe me, they were perfectly fine, but she was in America and she acted way too polite for the average American teenager. With my help, Stella was fully Americanized.

She and I walked through our local movie theatre, carrying buckets of butter covered popcorn. The movie we were going to see did not matter. What did was that Stella stopped what she was doing and paused in front of one of the posters. "What's wrong?" I asked, nudging her shoulder.

"I think I want to be an actress," she said, placing a hand on Scarlett Johansson's face. Even her accent was gone- I had taught her how to drop the 'L' thing and properly pronounce the 'R's.

I furrowed my brows. "You want to be in movies?"

"No, not movies. Like in a play."

I shook my head and placed a hand on her delicate shoulder. "You'll never be able to do it," I told her bluntly. "Actors have to be fearless and expressive and frankly, you're neither of them." Stella's face did not changer. Her lips were in a straight, unreadable line while her eyes showed no signs of hurt. Yet, something told me that I was at fault. I patted her back like the old friend I was, adding, "But I bet that if you work hard, you can be part of the high school drama program next year."

Back relaxing, Stella hand went downward, lingering over the actors' names. She drew her fingers along them, moving her lips wistfully. At last, after a moment of mutual silence, she nodded. "Then I'll have to try my hardest." That was the moment that sent the dominos in action. Every time I thought about it, I had to agree that it was the first time I ever realized how truly special she was. Such sudden determination awakened by one simple glance at a single movie poster.

And believe me, Stella would pursue acting with every ounce of her being.

By the time I woke up again, the room was dark, the only source of light coming from the doorway up to the kitchen. I was still on my side and Sokka was still sleeping beside me. A few hours must have passed since the late sun was completely gone and it was night time. I could hear the crew in the kitchen and dining hall, laughing over food and drink. Their voices were a soft murmur, echoing effortlessly around the empty room. It was lonely in here.

I wrapped my arm over my heavy chest, hugging my empty shell in comfort. "_I miss her," _I thought. I missed her voice, her smell, her laughter, her smiles- everything. I needed to be with Stella soon or else I think I might go insane.

I laid there for a little while longer, basking in my self-pity. It was only the ravenous growl of my stomach that reminded me that I had not eaten all day. I sat up, carelessly waking up my cat in the process. "Sorry Sokka," I apologized, his eyes reflecting green in the dark. Huh, cats are, like, nature's natural glow-in-the-dark toys. "But c'mon, we both need to eat something."

I picked it up into my arms, enjoying the warmth it brought me. "_If only you were a person," _I thought, taking my first step up. "_Then you might be the emotional support I need. Unlike-"_

"Alfred!" I jumped, nearly running into his sturdy silhouette just outside the doorway, one more step above me. Hot steam concentrated in my head as I pressed my lips and prepared myself for the screaming match. But then I noticed his body. His skin was covered with bruises; some blue, others yellow and green. His head, arm, and chest had white bandages covering them. Heck, even his glasses seemed just the tiniest bit cracked. My mouth hung agape as I tried to find the words to vocalize my feelings.

All the while, he looked down at me, grinning. "Good morning, sleepy pie," he greeted happily. "Time for dinner!"

The words came. "What the heck happened to you?" I screeched, not sure whether I should feel angry, guilty, or both. "Oh God- should you even be standing?"

He shrugged carelessly. "Apparently, this is what happens when you de-top Switzerland's sister," he said. For once, he sounded like an actual person. That is, until he put on his cocky look and pointed a finger at his chest. "But have no fear! I'm the hero and the hero never minds it when he's in pain!"

I took the opportunity to slap him. "Why the frack did you rip my dress off?" I yelled, trying my best not to kick his balls. I was a guy and I knew how it feels. But I wonder: does the same amount of pain happen to a woman when someone kicks her in the vagina?

Alfred rubbed his cheek, the smile never leaving him. "I was solving the case of the Boob-boyfriend we agreed to do," he said.

I groaned, "First off, don't call Ukraine anything related to her boobs, it's insulting. Second, you agreed to do it, not me. And lastly, how would ripping my dress off- oh, I don't know -help?"

"You and I are a team," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder before pulling me close. He looked up into the distant infinity, illustrating his words with his hands. "Whatever the hero does, his sidekick always has to do as well."

"I am not your sidekick!" I snapped. "If anything, I'm the one who leads where because I'm the only one with a brain."

"That's not the point. The point is that I had required your breasts in the service of helping me, the hero."

I quickly checked behind him—up the stairs -making sure that no one was within hearing distance. The crew was at the tables, laughing as Sweden and Hungary had an arm wrestling fight. They were evenly matched, two crowns of sweat resting on their heads. Knowing that we had a little bit more privacy, I grabbed Alfred's vest and forced him to lean in. Narrowing my eyes, I looked straight into his eyes as I hissed, "These aren't mine, they're Liechtenstein's. This is her body and don't you forget it."

He pouted. "You're such a stuck up, Lar," he replied. "Aren't you even going to listen to my ingenious plan?"

I gritted my teeth. "You have one minute."

It took a second for him to realize what I was saying, but once it hit he was rambling as fast as his large mouth could. "Ukraine said that she couldn't get a lover because everyone was either too scared of her boobs or only loving her because of them. So I figured that if I flashed a pair of tits at the crew, we could figure out who did and didn't like them. The only person there who regarded yours without love or intimidation was Hong Kong."

I rolled my eyes. "There are so many things wrong with that logic, it would take me over a week to list most of them," I said. "Like Ukraine has freaking f-cups and Liechtenstein would barely fill a training bra-"

"A what?" He asked, cocking his head in confusion. I chose to ignore him.

"Furthermore, Hong Kong probably didn't look at me because he is unfortunately dating Netherlands or have you forgotten?"

This time, he was the one to roll his eyes. "Pfft, you are so silly, Lar," he said, laughing at my apparent ignorance. I tightened my grip on him. "Obviously we'll break them up and make sure that Ukraine and him hook back up together."

"Idiot, things like that never happen in real life."

"Hey Alfred!" I quickly released him before Denmark, laughing, came up behind him and swung his arm around his shoulder. I took a step back. I could still remember that day in the alley. The knowledge that this guy was constantly trying to get inside of my pants made me feel a little less bad for his knife wound. At this point, I didn't care as long as he kept his hands to himself. Laughing, he supported himself against Alfred, asking, "Did you see that? Hungary and Sweden got into an economic war over an arm wrestle." I winced. His voice was slurred, like a drunk's "Their economies are so going downhill."

Alfred's lower lip curled into a pout. "They did?" He childishly whined. "Shit! I wanted to see it!"

"Well Norway and Romania are giving their try at it now," Denmark said, absently tracing circles in the air with his finger. "I bet that if you go now, you can see them in action."

He fist pumped. "Sweet!" Without another regard to me, Alfred made a beeline straight to the tables, excitedly demanding that he be given a good view.

I started to take a step forward, I plead to stay still on my lips, but Denmark was still there. He watched him go, standing straight and tall. A frown appeared on his face as he cracked his neck, shedding his drunken visage. "I thought he'll never leave," he muttered, speaking perfectly.

He was only pretending to be drunk.

Frack.

I needed to get out of there.

"I need to go see Agatha," I lied, trying to go around him. At first, I seriously thought that I was going to be able to do it. I was just about to pass him completely when the blond placed a hand over my mouth and an arm around my waist. In one swift motion, he carried me back into the sleep chambers.

I immediately called out for Switzerland to come and help me, but it the hand muffled my screams. My head was light. There was a ringing in my ears, an alarm to remind me of the danger. "Please don't scream," he said gently, placing me on the ground. The darkness shielded his face from me, but I would bet that it was sadistic. When I tried to rip his hand away, he grabbed both of my wrists and held me down. "I'm serious, Liech, I just want to talk."

I kicked him. My heel dug into his shin, sending a sharp pain to travel up his leg. Gasping, the man's grip on my faltered just enough for me to rip my face away. "Help!" I yelled, trying to yank my hands free. "Denmark is-"

He slapped his hand back into place. "Would you just listen to me?" He demanded, harsher and more desperate. "I seriously just need-"

Someone finally came running down the stairs. "Step away from You, Red Coat." I think this was the first time I was ever thankful for Belarus's presence. Her hourglass figure was silhouetted against the light, making her appear more intimidating than usual. A freaking knife was in her hands, the shining metal reflecting my fear like it reflected the light.

Denmark raised his hands in defeat. "This isn't what it looks like," he said, carefully. "I was trying-"

"Can it, bastard. My brother said that if you ever tried to touch You ever again-"

This time, he shot to his feet. "Turkey got the story wrong," he snapped, striding right into her face. Against the background murmur of the ship's merrymaking, he jabbed a finger at her face, glaring into her eyes. "I wasn't trying to rape Liechtenstein or whatever else he told you. I was simply trying to talk to her."

I really had no idea what was they were talking about. From what I take, Turkey told Russia and Belarus about our little alleyway incident at the port. Russia told him to stay in place, or else. I felt as though there was something else missing, but I really didn't care. This was about bringing justice unto those who deserved it. Rising to my feet, I cleared my throat. "No, you were trying to have sex with me," I said. As Denmark shot me a look of betrayal, I walked right up to Belarus and stood behind her. She raised an eyebrow, as if surprised that I was so willing to take her side, but kept her mouth shut about it.

Instead, she held her knife up higher, saying, "As ordered by my brother, your pass to roam the ship has been revoked. You are going back to your cell now." Belarus's head shot around to the crew. "Netherlands!"

I wanted to turn around and watch the Dutchman join us at our side, but I was afraid of taking my eyes off the knife. I felt as though if I looked at something else, it was somehow going to leave her hands and enter my chest. Instead, I listened to his numb steps as he slowly made his way to us. When he was in my vision, I saw how scared he looked.

It really was odd. This really was the first time he didn't look relaxed and in control. His eyes hauntingly switched between the three of us, lingering the most on Denmark. His lips were tight and his Adam's Apple was bobbing from nervous swallowing. "Yes Belarus?" He asked, sounding a little dead on the inside.

All of this was lost on her. "Take Denmark down to his cell," she ordered. "Chain him and make sure that there is some water and bread crusts for him. Be quiet about it, though or else all those other idiots might give us more trouble than that piece of shit is worth."

Denmark wryly grinned. "At least I'm not a doitsu."

Belarus snapped her fingers, reminding the Netherlands about his job. Solemnly, he grabbed Denmark's arm. "I'm sorry, bro," he said. "You know that I don't want to."

He shook his head, allowing himself to be led away. "No, it's fine." He chuckled. "In a way, I think I might deserve this one." My chest was heavy as I watched the man be paraded away. They walked straight through the crew without a single person noticing. They were laughing, wrestling, cooking, and talking. None of them knew and they wouldn't until they had no other option but to be passive about it.

I did my best to be relieved. Denmark was finally going to leave me alone. I was going to be free of his perverseness for good. I placed a hand on my chest. It ached for some reason. That was wrong. This shouldn't be hurting me this way. But I still wanted to call him back and ask him what he wanted to tell me. "_That's just your curiosity, Lar," _I told myself. "_It's probably nothing."_

Belarus was the one to break me out of my spell. "I need you to come with me now," she said, grabbing my arm. Her nails painfully bit into my skin, causing me to suppress my yelp biting my lip. I was going to snap at her to let go, but that Godforsaken knife was still shining in her hand. I opted to keep my mouth shut and bear through it.

She led me up the steps onto the deck. The moon was high in the star decked sky. I looked up, a sound of awe leaving me. I had never seen so many stars before in my life. Even when Dad took Sherry, Jerry, and I camping, the distant lights of some West Coast city blocked some of them out. Here, their gleam was crystal and true.

Belarus had to drag me along, grumbling as I stumbled after her. I was just about to figure out where the little dipper was when I suddenly knocked into her chest. "We're here." We stood in front of the door to captain's quarters.

I gaped. Oh. Russia wanted to see me. Sweat tickled the back of my neck. I know that he told me yesterday that he was not mad at me for that little lash out with Denmark, but why else would he want to see me? I've pretty much been nothing but a thorn in his side. "_He's going to kill me," _I mourned as his sister turned the doorknob.

"Don't do anything stupid," she muttered, soft enough for only me to hear. I questionly hummed before she swung the door open and shoved me inside. This time, with the lights on, I could see how great the room truly was. The walls were decorated with framed maps and paintings, all related to Russia (the country) in some way. Gold was a favored color, finding its way into the trinkets along the shelves, bed, and desk. I stood a few feet away from the dining table. That was where Russia sat, his nice black slacks and loose white shirt drowned by his immense coat. He smiled kindly at me, head rest on his hands.

"Here she is, brother," his sister announced, glaring at me from the door. I flinched, not sure whether I wanted to stay with her or this guy. But from the spiteful way she asked if he wanted anything else, staying with Russia would probably be best for my health.

"I believe Liechtenstein and I will be fine for the rest of the night," he told her, his voice curt and eloquent. "You may take the rest of the night off."

Her frown only deepened. "I'll take the first watch," she spat before marching out and slamming the door shut behind herself.

I winced. Something told me that I was in the middle of some sort of incestuous lover's quarrel. That was not a good place to be in, considering the fact that both sides liked violence way too much for comfort. Russia sighed, playing with his fork. "Ignore her, Liechtenstein. My sister can be a little hard to get along with sometimes," he told me, his kind look never leaving him. "But please, take a seat."

I noticed for the first time that the table was completely set with silver plates, knives, forks, and everything. Heck, there was even a covered pot in the center. I stared for a moment, trying to think of a discreet way to say it before deciding on just being blunt. "Is this a dinner date?" I asked.

His face turned the most adorable shade of red (and I mean that in the straightest way possible) as he looked down. "If you want to consider it that . . ."

My shoulders dropped. I did not have time to deal with this. I needed to deal with Gilbert, not some flirtatious pirate. But there was something so innocent in the way his face was flushed. I really did not want to be here, but what harm could he do? My stomach noisily growled. Oh yeah, and I'm famished. "Well, if it's just for a dinner . . ."

I carefully- which was also gracefully -took a seat across from him, feeling awkward the whole way. The same time, Russia looked like the happiest and most childish man alive. "That makes me happy!" He squealed. "I really want to spend time with you!"

"_Well then shut up and give me my freaking food," _I said on the inside.

"Oh? Why is that?" I said on the outside.

He finally reached over and took the lid off of the pot. Inside was a stew, filled with brown broth and a variety of vegetables. "You never cease to amaze me, Liechtenstein," he said. "You always act so nice to everyone, yet you have this snarkier side to you. Can I have your bowl, please?"

I handed it to him and he ladled me my serving. "I'm not all that special," I said. "I just get really annoyed with people sometimes."

"I don't think that's true," he replied, looking up with innocence. All that while my bowl was still in his hand, mocking me with its delicious aroma. I gave him an impatient look, causing him to laugh and finally give me my food. My stomach growled again as I was forced to stare at it as he took his sweet time serving himself. Stupid manners. "You know, I saw you wearing it," he said suddenly, finally returning to his seat.

I waited until he took his first sip to start eating. Without much thought, I scooped up the biggest mouth-full I could manage and shoved it into my mouth. My hunger made the everyday beef stew Ukraine made taste like the food of the gods. I didn't think Jerry could out do her and he wanted to be a professional chef. When I finally swallowed, I wiped my mouth on the cloth napkin. I asked, "Wearing what?"

"The sunflower." Embarrassed, I slowly placed my napkin back on my lap as he spoke. "It was in your hair when I was introducing Agatha to the crew. Do you remember that? You were on Alfred's shoulders."

I grimaced. "I remember it like it was yesterday."

He shook his head and chuckled. "Right. That's because it was yesterday." We were silent. I continued to eat, trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere as I devoured to my heart's content. If I was not so hungry, I might have noticed that Russia was barely picking at his food. I was just about finished with my stew when he placed his spoon back onto the table. I looked up, seeing him rise to his feet. "You know, Liechtenstein, I was a little worried that you hated me," he said, speaking with refinement.

I stared. Those were the words of a broken hearted man, yet he seemed perfectly okay- in control, actually. "I really have to thank you for the meal," I said, standing up as well. "Um, it was nice eating with you." I did a quick curtsy and started to make my escape out. I was a few feet from the door. "Now if you would excuse-"

Russia stepped in front of me. "So do you really hate me?" He asked, still sounding like the mother-freakin' suave master.

I took a step back. "O-of course I don't," I stuttered, watching him take an even larger one forward. His chest was in my face. Squeaking, I retreated again, just to have my feet impeded by the side of his bed. Crap. I waved my hands around in a nervous twitter, saying, "I really do like you-"

I was going to tell him that he was far too close for my personal comfort, but I didn't have the chance to. That was considering the fact that he pushed me. The mattress puffed out as I landed on top of it. It sunk even further when he crawled on top of me. He was on all fours, trapping me in a prison made up of his arms and torso. His eyes were half lidded as he looked down at me with- wait for it -desire and lust.

I trembled, trying to push myself as far away as I could. Russia's affectionately cupped my cheek, brushing his finger over my face. "Why are you shaking?" He asked softly.

I closed my eyes shut, feeling the shivers run down my back. "Why are you touching me?" I whispered, trying my hardest not to sob. I did not want this. I did not want to be at the mercy of some guy. I did not want to be here. I wanted to be at home, safe from all of this insanity.

Russia leaned in even closer pressing the side of his face against mine. His hot breath danced against my ear as he replied, "I want to make love with you."

Immediately, I shot my hand into his face. "No you don't!" I shrieked, slipping out from underneath him. I was sweating like a whore in church. I couldn't even think clearly. The only thing driving me was the need to get the hell away from him. "This really wouldn't work out," I said, scrambling back against the wall. "You're a guy and so am I and this really is gross and oh my God I really don't want to think about this."

He stared at me, blinking. "What are you talking about?" He asked, crawling right back up to me. He placed a warm hand back on my cheek, ignoring how fearfully cold my skin was. "You're not a guy, silly," he said. I was suddenly aware of how close he was leaning in. "And don't worry- I'll be gentle . . ."

Russia placed his wet lips onto the crook of my neck.

My body sunk into that grossly numb feeling and the next thing I knew, I was shoving him away, screaming a single syllable: "No!" Russia stumbled back onto his hands, giving me a look of shock and . . . crap, was that hurt?

On the inside, I was petrified. I didn't know what to say or do. I nearly got caught up in having sex with another _guy_. Words cannot begin to describe how grossed out I was. "_Would you please calm down?" _Liechtenstein said, gently scolding me. "_I can't concentrate with your panicking."_

Oh yeah. Let me rephrase that: I nearly got caught up in having sex with another guy _while _being stuck in the body of a girl who I promised to keep virtuous. Well aren't I just the little douchebag. Mentally, I fell to my knees, pressing my hands in prayer as I cried, "_I'm sorry, Liech! I know that I promised you! I swear to God it'll never happen again."_

"_Didn't I tell you to calm down?" _I forced myself to shut up. She mellifluously sighed. "_And I don't blame you, Larry. I truthfully didn't see it coming either. I'm not mad at you. So please, just be quiet and let me handle this." _With that, I stepped back and let her take the wheel.

"I'm sorry, Russia," Liechtenstein said, holding her hands out in defense. She sounded frantic, scared even. "I know that you must really like me, but I can't make love with you."

The one with light brown hair stared at me for a second longer before looking down guiltily. In a small voice, he said, "I guess I moved a little bit too quickly, right comrade? You most likely don't like me back the same way either."

Liechtenstein shook her head. I could feel her that her guilt levels were equal to mine. We both really didn't like the way the brute looked so small, so pitiful. We didn't need to say anything to know that we had to make it better somehow. "No it's not that," she told him. She hugged her arms, looking down at the messy white sheets. "I'm asexual," she lied. "I don't like it when people touch me."

Russia gasped and placed his hands over his mouth. "I apologize. I did not know. If I knew, then I wouldn't have-"

"It's fine. I haven't even told big brother about it yet." For a while, we sat in an awkward silence. The flames lighting the room flicker, making us extremely aware of the passing of time. There were a few instances where I my sense of feeling and control returned, but Liechtenstein would always take the reign again.

"_Don't wear yourself out," _I warned as she unfolded her knees and started to inch off the side of the bed.

"_Don't worry, I wouldn't. I need the energy to bring you back to the Void tonight. We need to talk." _I didn't have time to ask her why (I bet she was going to changed her mind and kick my butt for allowing Russia to get so far) as she placed my feet on the ground, saying, "Well, I really should get back then-"

Russia grabbed our hand. "Wait!" He sounded kind of scared, like a little kid. That was so new- I was used to the commanding captain who threatened to put me on the rack. "Please don't leave," he pleaded. "Belarus isn't going to come back and I don't want to spend the night alone."

She pressed her lips. "Russia, I-"

"I haven't slept alone in over a century," he cried, squeezing my hand even tighter. "Please- I promise that I wouldn't do anything to you. Just stay with me for the night. Please. . . I'm begging you Liechtenstein."

She bit her lip, thinking it over. I waited in anticipation, wondering what she would do. I sure as heck didn't want to stay the night with him, but I didn't want to leave him alone either. In a way, everything from his trembling lips to his large violet eyes reminded me of Jerry. My pitiful, weak little brother. At last, Liechtenstein sighed and sat back down. "All right. Just promise to keep your hands to yourself."

"_What? Liech, you can't be serious!"_

She didn't reply. Slowly but surely, the feeling was returning to my skin. Russia smiled brightly, looking like an excited little kid. "Really? I can still hug you, right?"

I inwardly scowl. Stupid little- yeah, just abandon me like that! You know what? This calls for revenge. I turned back to him, grinning as best as I could. "That would be great actually." And there we go: we have a guy touching her and she sure can't do anything about it.

He bounced, looking the happiest I've ever seen him. "I'm so excited!" He sang. I placed a hand over my mouth as I giggled. He was so childish, like a five year old. "Let's go to bed now!" I yelped as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back onto the bed. I started stuttering something about how this was a little sudden as he wrapped us in blankets and snuggled into the pillows.

My eyes darted everywhere as I tried to relieve the stiff and uncomfortable feeling in my gut. "What about the lights?" I asked. He lazily raised a hand and twirled his finger. A gust of cold air left him and blew all of the candles out. Now I laid dumbfounded in his bed, in his dark room. "Okay, how the heck did you do that?"

Russia hummed, burying his face into my hair. "It's General Winter," he muttered. "As long as I have my coat, I can order him around." A low chuckle escaped him, sending a goosebump down my scalp. "He doesn't really like it very much, Actually, he really wishes that I lose because he thinks England would be a better master than me."

That was right: the only way to win THE WAR was to steal the other captain's coat. I think I remember once Alfred telling me how even England's coat had magical properties of some sort. I shivered at the thought of him. There was something truly horrifying by the way his red coat fluttered around him as he unmercifully clashed swords with Russia.

Said man ran his finger through my hair, hushing me. "Don't be scared of him," he gently cooed. "I promise that I wouldn't let him hurt you." That didn't reassure me. In fact, the only thing it succeeded in doing was making me want to scold myself. Idiot, don't be afraid of him. Strong people are not afraid. "Just close your eyes now Liechtenstein and try to get some sleep."

I gulped and nodded. "Okay . . . 'night."

"Goodnight Liechtenstein. I . . ." He let it hang in the air, never completing his thought.

It was a long time before I could fall asleep. I was either hyper aware of the Russian's presence besides me- his breathing, heartbeat, twitches -or the crew below us. Eventually, long after Russia's snores were echoing around the room, I was able to close my eyes and drift into the darkness.

* * *

**The Void: Day 11**

When they opened again, I was greeted by even more darkness. I was lying on the ground, arms and legs spread out like a starfish. Closing my eyes, I sighed. "In my defense, I did not ask to spend the night with Russia," I said. "So you had it coming."

I heard Liechtenstein sigh. "You are impossible," she said. I opened my eyes in time to see her seat herself at my head. "But I didn't call you here to talk about that." Her delicate hand ran through my red hair. I remembered once Sherry told me that Jerry and I would make a great Fred and George. I remembered telling her that I had to be George since I did not want to die. "There's something bugging you, Larry."

"Really? What was your first hint?"

She frowned and tugged at one of my locks. I hissed. Okay, cut back on the sarcasm. "I think we both know exactly what I mean."

For someone laying on the ground, I did a pretty good shrug. "Well I sure don't know," I drawled. "There's Gilbert, Russia, Belarus, Alfred, Agatha, and let's not forget Denmark."

Liechtenstein closed her eyes and took another tense breath. She looked stressed, like there were a million things on her mind at once. A million things she should be spending time on. Yet, there she was, spending it trying to help me.

What a fool.

"I'm talking about Agatha," she told me, the pinnacle of patience. Her tone was calm and gentle, yet the name sent a chill down my spine. "From what I can tell, she's your sister and that bugs you."

I folded my hands over my chest, huffing, "Obviously. Would you be okay learning that your older sibling was putting herself into a dangerous situation?"

The girl shook her head. "I would hate it if Switzerland made a contract with Bud or Erwin." I frowned. That was right- we both had older siblings. I was not quite sure what her relationship with him was, but it was probably better than mine and Sherry's. We both got on each other's nerves. There was never a time we could enter the same room and not argue. There were even a few instances when we were kicked out of church because we could not keep our bickering to ourselves. We were worse than conservatives and liberals. Liechtenstein continued to play with my hair. "And because I have Switzerland, I understand how you might feel about all of this," she said. "And because you are in my body, I can tell what some of your feelings are."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can?"

"Yes. I can tell who you hate, who you love, who your friends are . . ." I gave her a freaked out look. "Oh, it's not as though I can read your thoughts," she told me, chuckling. "It's like we share a connection."

I looked up at the dark ceiling. Or was it a sky? If I reached high enough, would I touch a ceiling or open air? "Okay, that's kind of cool, but what does that have to do with me?"

She cracked a sad smile. Chewing on her lip, the pale girl was silent for a long moment. Just when I opened my mouth to coax a reply, she spoke. "Because the feeling I would have if my brother was here is different from what you're feeling right now. It's like there is sibling love, but it's tainted by something else."

I sighed. That's it? And here I thought that it was going to be a major, scientific breakthrough. It was nearly as disappointing as the 'Makorra' romance subplot. "That's because my relationship with Sherry is not very good right now," I evenly explained. "It's nothing to be overly concern about."

Again, she shook her head. "No, there is definitely something else there, something that you're not telling me." She placed both of her hands on my cheeks and cradled my head. "Larry, I want to talk it out with you," she said. "I don't want you to keep it inside. Please, if there is anything bugging you, just tell me."

I only shook my head. "There is nothing wrong," I lied. "And if there was, I wouldn't need to talk it out. I can deal with my problems on my own."

Liechtenstein opened her mouth. "But-"

I cut her off. "It's hard for you to hold me down here and I don't want you to strain yourself." I gave her a firm look. "You can release me now and we can talk soon, okay?"

Her shoulder dropped in defeat. "If you say so . . ." She leaned down and kissed my forehead. Her hair brushed my glasses as she did so. Her lips were gentle and innocent, like a sister to her brother. "I'm always here if you want to talk to me," she said, drawing away. "I'll see you later."

I closed my eyes, a small smile on my face. "Bye, Liechtenstein." And with that, I was falling

and falling

and falling

and falling

a

n

d

. . .

* * *

**MW: **And there we go! Twenty something pages! Hey Sisko, do you know what makes me sad?

**SEK: **What?

**MW: **I've been hearing a lot of fan theories about Bud and Erwin, but I really haven't gotten anything on the symbolism yet. I think we should give them a hint.

**BFTL: **I got an easy one! Can anyone figure out why Belarus always called Larry/Liech "You"?

**SEK: ***nods* Yes, that is a good one, honey. So what do you guys say, think you understand the meaning behind that?

**MW: **We'll have to see. But for now, thank you all for reading?

**Notes**

"Tahno" In _Avatar: The Legend of Korra, _there is a character named Tahno who plays moves on Korra in one of his first appearances. Basically, he's a pervert.

"Makorra" _Avatar: The Legend of Korra _pairing term for Mako X Korra.

Also, being kicked in the vagina is very painful. Please do not try it at home.

**Next Chapter: **Larry ends up discovering something about Alfred, but can he deal with it within time?


	7. Everyone Always Likes to Lie

**MW: **I am so sorry for not updating for a month. Life has been busy and hellish. I apologize greatly. But, to my great enjoyment, I do have a supper awesome announcement to make. *clears throat*

**Today, one year ago,**_** The Fangirl **_**was first posted!**

That's right guys! _The Fanseries _is officially one year old (It's a bit amazing that I'm still working on this, considering that my original idea for the series was just 10 chapters long). So to celebrate, we're updating.

Well, me at least. **SEK **is a bit busy right now, so she asked me to try my best to proofread without her. Like always, tell me if you see any mistakes.

Lastly, before I let you guys go off and read this baby, I have a happy announcement to make. One person actually got the symbolism for the "You" think right. According to **dismallyOriented** **, **_**"**__The "You" bit doesn't happen to be a reference to those "Country x Reader" self-insert fics, does it?" _

Good job girl! Go treat yourself to a cookie.

**EDIT: Made a huge mistake in the naming, but I fixed it. Thank you to AddXC92 for pointing it out to me. Sorry for any confusion!**

**Chapter Summary: **Larry starts to realize that something's up with Alfred, but will it be too late?

**Warnings: **Strong language, violence and explicit gore, sexual themes, some incest and boy's love.

**Disclaimer: **Even after all of this time, I still do not own Hetalia.

* * *

**~Chapter 7~**

**Everyone Always Likes to Lie**

"_There'll be girls across the nation that'll eat this up_

_Babe, I know that it's your soul but could you bottle it up?_

_And get down to the heart of it, no, it's my heart_

_You're straight out of your luck don't make me tell you again."_

**-From the American song "Bottle It Up" by the Sara Bareilles**

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 12**

I sighed and rolled onto my other side. Lucidity was slowly returning to me, beckoning for me to embrace the new day. I moaned, hugging the sheets closer to myself. "You might want to get up now," a voice said. "It's around noon." At first, I did my best to ignore him. Who needed Russia anyways?

Oh yeah. Russia.

I slept with him last night.

"Frack!" I swore, bolting up. Immediately, the sun's glare hit my eyes, blinding me. I placed an arm over them, squinting at the scene. I was alone in the bed, my clothes still on. The sun's rays brought a sense of cleanliness to the room, making many of the trinkets glitter. The rays came in through the large windows by Russia's desk were open. The glass was pushed outward and the ocean breeze made the forest green curtains dance. The man himself sat behind the desk, moving a compass across a map. How typical of pirates. I stared at him, asking, "Did you just say noon?"

Russia looked up. His face was drawn in seriousness. He looked completely different from last night. There was no trace of that child in a man's body who begged for me to stay. No, this was a man built to lead an army. "_Kind of like an actual country," _I thought. This was what a country personification should be- cool and calculating. Not the perverted homosexuals who currently populated this ship.

"Yes, it is noon," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I did not want to wake you up sooner since you looked very tired."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, well those hammocks aren't necessarily the comfiest of things."

He grimaced. "Well, it's the best I can do," he said. "Tell me Liechtenstein: did you sleep well last night?"

I thought back to my conversation with Liech. I was not sure if being interrogated by a self-proclaimed therapist was considered restful or not, but I felt pretty good right now. For once, I really didn't feel the burden of Stella or Gilbert or Agatha. It will probably return later, but for now all I wanted to do was bask in this relaxation. I leaned back on my hands, saying, "I slept wonderfully. You?"

It seemed as though Russia's smile was growing bigger by the second. "It was much easier to sleep with you by my side." This time, I frowned. All right, that sounded creepy in more ways than one. He didn't seem to notice though. His cheerful aura was radiant, seeping from his face and into my skin. It did not fade away until a soft _thud! _broke our silence.

I looked over and saw Sokka on top of his desk. The feline was licking its white paws, sweeping its tail over the many maps. "Where did he come from?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows. At my voice, Sokka looked up and meowed. It leaped onto the floor and made its way onto the bed.

As I stroked its back, Russia rose and motioned to the windows. "Through there, I guess. Though-" he stuck his head outside and looked up. "-it's not an easy jump. One wrong move and he would have drowned."

"Drowned?" I picked the cat up and held it in front of me. "You better not have been attempting suicide," I scolded, ignoring those adorable green eyes. "The next time you want to see me, you better take a sensible route, you understand? No dying on me."

Sokka meowed.

Russia chuckled. "So cute. . ."

"Brother!" The door swung open and Belarus came inside. Her feet kicked up the edges of her skirt as she carried a tray of what looked to be more soup and lemons. When one was on a pirate ship that was pretty much the only thing you ate. "I brought us some lunch," she announced, kicking the door shut behind herself. I froze on the bed. Belarus was incredibly pissed with me yesterday. What was the attitude she was going to use today? Oh God, please don't tell me it's the knives.

But despite all of my worrying, she merely gave me a passing glance before returning to her task. "I see that you're still here," she stated, placing the tray on the table. Was it just me, or was it bitter? Not good.

I put Sokka down and gave her a serious look. I said, "I was really tired last night."

"You couldn't have been." She quickly busied herself by rearranging the bowls and silverware. It was frightening, the way she refused to look at me. Maybe because when she glared at me, I at least knew where I stood with her. Now I had no idea whether or not she was going to kill me or treat me with indifference. The blond picked up a bowl and started ladling some soup into it, muttering, "After all, I didn't hear you moaning at all."

I flushed and buried my face in my hands. "How can you even think that?"

A loud string of meowing met our ears. Belarus and I looked back at the desk to see Sokka standing on the maps, pawing the table top. Russia looked slightly bewildered, unsure of what to make of this odd display. "Liechtenstein, I think your pet really likes maps," he said, pushing himself closer into his chair. "He wouldn't stop pawing it."

Belarus smirked. "Maybe Sokka just needs to take a piss," she joked.

I sigh- wait a second. Belarus cracked a joke. _Belarus cracked a joke? _What? Since when did she have a sense of humor? The last I checked, she only had two modes. The first being her obsessive knife wielder. The other was the side that liked to yell at the crew for slacking off. It was completely abnormal for her to have a sense of humor.

Maybe my prayers to Jesus finally made it through.

Well thank you Jesus, I knew that you're awesome all along.

I sighed and got off the bed. "Don't worry too much about it," I told them, walking to the desk. I delicately picked up my cat and- ignoring its angry hissing -held it close to my chest. "This one is a weird one." Images of Sokka, Alfred, and the mystery man suddenly drifted into my head. When we were in Sicily, Sokka scratched my mentor for some reason, most likely because of what he and the mystery guy were talking about. "_What if . . ."_

I shook the thought out of my head. "_That's border lining crazy," _I told myself. "_There is no way there's something up with Sokka. I bet I just imagined it or something." _That brought me a little comfort. "_Yeah. I bet he was just trying to get Al's attention."_

Belarus's glare finally returned. "I have our lunch completely set up now, brother," she said lowly. "It would be greatly appreciated if we can start now."

I took a moment away from my cat-soothing to give the siblings a confused look. "You two are having lunch together?" I asked.

Russia smiled and nodded. "Yes. Just Belarus and I. So . . ." His lips quivered into a frown.

A little pang of whatever-the-feeling-you-get-when-you-realize-that -you-just-walked-in-on-a-party-you-were-not-invite d-to struck my heart. It was not as though I wanted to spend a lunch with Russia and Belarus, but it would still be nice to be invited to the event- even if I just decline the offer. Doing my very best to look unphased, I shook my head. "No, I get it. I'll leave." I gave them a wistful smile. "You two have fun at your lunch date, okay?"

I started to make my way to the door. Now that I thought about it, I was really hungry right now. I guess that's what happens when you skip multiple meals in a little over twenty-four hours. I placed my hand on the door knob. "Wait."

I froze. That was Belarus. Why was she telling me to stop? Was she going to get revenge for sleeping with her brother and lover? Was she going to stab me with one of her knives? A shiver ran down my back Oh God no, anything but _that_. And to think I had been doing so well to evade the need for it.

It was a tense moment as I heard her small feet shuffle across the room. "Put your stupid cat down, You, and carry this to my sister." I dropped the cat and turned around, just to meet a big brown basket full of laundry. It was so big; I could barely get my arms around the sides to the handles. The fact that it was filled to the brim with a variety of clothing and sheets made it heavy and messy.

My eyes switched between it and her serious face. "What's this for?" I asked dumbly.

"It's noon, so most of the crew is on deck. I would prefer if those doitsus didn't spread rumors about my brother and you, so we're just going to make it look as though you were in here doing laundry. All right, You?"

I nodded and I pressed my lips. "Why do you insist on calling me that? You know perfectly well that I have a _real _name."

Belarus cracked a small, humored smirk. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she looked very cute when she was happy- beautiful even. "You told me to call you that," she said. And like that, her mood was back to its usual moodiness. "Now get out of here," she curtly ordered. She reached past me- her cheek brushing against mine- and opened the door for me. "And make sure you give that to Ukraine and Agatha, understand?" She placed her heel on my butt and kicked me out. I stumbled a few feet, trying my best to avoid stepping on Sokka without spilling the clothes. Every single member of the crew glanced up from their work to watch Belarus slam the door shut behind me, loudly ordering me to "move my ass and be quick about it."

I growled and shot right back at her. "Calm your tits and maybe people will actually like you!" When she did not answer, a small sense of victory swelled in my chest. Yeah, that would show her. I straightened my back, balancing the basket on my hip. The crew, however, continued to watch me, as if I was a dead man walking. I frowned. "What are you all looking at?" I snapped. Some coughed and looked away while others jumped back to their original tasks.

Wow, I sure was getting a lot of victories today.

I shook my head and started to make my way below deck. "_Belarus is so freaky," _I thought, walking down the steps. "_I swear to God, one of these days I will personally-" _My stomach gave a long and low rumble. "_Okay, fine- I'll get food first. I hope Ukraine has some meat . . ."_

I turned the corner and walked into the kitchen and dining-room-slash-cannon-chamber. The first thing that I noticed was that there were two colors at the stoves- the red of Agatha's curls and the brown of Turkey's hair. They looked very tense, almost hateful towards one another. Yet, they were stirring tonight's stew together, the man giving her soft pointers on spices and technique.

I stared at them, giving a small "What the . . ."

"I'm teaching them a lesson." I turned to see Ukraine sitting at one of the tables, her fingers wrapped in some knitting. Ukraine leaned back a little, watching Agatha and Turley grudgingly work together. I was always fascinated by knitting. It was like some sort of magic- the ability to turn simple string into cloth.

I gently placed the basket on the ground- careful to avoid spilling -and slid onto one of the chairs, asking, "What lesson?"

She smiled warmly and pulled one of her needles away. "Those two are being ridiculously stubborn," she said, pointing at their backs. By the way their feet shifted, I could tell that they were trying their best to ignore our conversation. "They have been arguing with each other incessantly all morning. It's about time they simply gave in and admit that they don't hate each other as much as they claim they do."

I scowled, not particularly liking the turn this conversation was taking. "Ukraine—are you implying that my sis—_Agatha _and Turkey secretly love each other?"

Agatha picked up her pot and banged it back on the stove. Turkey, meanwhile, gave a low 'tsk' sound before moving to the counter. His rhythmic vegetable chopping filled the awkward air as Ukraine politely smiled. "I think that you're thinking a little too far ahead of us," she said. "What I meant was that Agatha and Turkey can be friends if they would simply put aside whatever came between them."

Agatha groaned. "Well it isn't my fault that _someone _has to be a complete douche," she muttered, stirring the stew fiercely.

Turkey paused and gave her a condescending glare. "Really? You're going to play _that _card?"

"Knock it off," Ukraine sharply ordered. Both of them immediately muttered an apology before returning to their work. It would not surprise me if Ukraine had actually smacked them with a spoon earlier. The blond sighed and returned to her work. "See? They've been at it since this morning," she said, moving her needles with precise magic. "But anyways, enough of that. What are you up to, Liechtenstein? I didn't see you for breakfast."

I grimaced. "Oh, I was . . . off somewhere," I said. Technically it wasn't a lie since Russia's room was somewhere. "I have some laundry that Russia wants you to do. Here." I motioned to the basket.

The captain's older sister sighed. "Typical Russia," she said, rising to her feet. Her knitting laid abandoned on the table. "Always having me do everything." She flashed me a smile as she lifted it into her hands. "Well, I best be getting started on this. You make sure that these two don't kill each other, okay?"

The only problem with that was that I was sure that I would most likely kill Turkey before any kind of peace can ever be made. I smiled unsurely. "I'll try." Ukraine chuckled before going up the stairs and onto deck.

At first, I did my best to be respectful (which lasted approximately twelve minutes) and merely watch them cook, but my stomach begged to differ. I placed a hand over it. "Is there anything here for me to eat?" I asked.

Agatha turned to me, smiling kindly. Sherry never smiled like that. "Sure. There's some soup here you can try," she said. "Here let me get you a bowl." As she bent down to the lower cabinets for the bowl, I saw Turkey quickly reach over and take care of her soups for her. By the time she rose back up, Turkey was back to cutting the vegetables. She didn't even notice that he had moved. I stared. It was as though it never happened. Agatha ladled me the brown liquid from one of the pots, stuck the spoon in it, and handed it over. "I'm glad that you asked permission first," she said. "It good that _somebody _here knows what manners are."

Turkey banged his knife on the cutting board. "I thought that you would like it!" He snapped. My blood ran cold. "Jesus! You don't have to make a big deal about it!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" They paused long enough for me to point an accusing finger at the man, yelling, "What the frack did you do?"

For a moment, all he did was look at me as though I was an idiot. Then, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well last night Agatha here decided that to return my shirt to me and I decided that I wanted to make sure that she wasn't as boring as I originally thought, so-"

"He woke me up at an ungodly hour to watch the sunrise," Agatha snapped. "Dragging me out of my hammock and everything." I could not help it- I literally had to facepalm. Were they serious? Was all of this because of a simple thing like that? And here I was, thinking sexual assault. At least I wouldn't have to murder anyone.

"Well excuse me for wanting to show you that," he replied, mockingly waving his hands around. "What is so wrong about a guy wanting to show a girl the sunrise?"

Agatha was red with anger. It was very scary how Sherry's face did the exact same thing every time we got into a heated argument. Stomping her foot on the ground, Agatha yelled, "A lot of things, starting with the fact that you did not ask me if I wanted to go in the first place!"

Turkey did something odd. Instead of continuing with the fight, he leaned against the counter and buried his face into his palms. His chest rose in fall, his breath filling the room. Agatha carefully watched him massage his temples and mutter Turkish under his breath. After a long moment, he looked up at her with determined ember eyes. "So if I did ask, would you have wanted to come?"

Agatha looked down, her eyes filled with emotion. She watched her shoes as she shifted uncomfortably. Heck, even her hands were shyly folded behind her back. "Probably."

Turkey sighed and shook his head. Pushing off the counter, he purposefully walked up to Agatha. She seemed to look even more uncomfortable when he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Okay then." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Miss Stu, would you like to watch the sunrise with me tomorrow morning?" he asked, sounding very much like the perfect gentleman. I frowned. He was putting moves on my sister!

My sister- no, Agatha -pressed her lips. Her cheeks held a pinkish tint as she slowly nodded. "As long as you promise not to be an ass," she replied.

He smirked, that cocky attitude of his returning. "I can promise nothing," he said, playfully taping her nose. Agatha only grew more flustered, stumbling over her words as she tried to ask him to stop. This only caused Turkey's visage to deepen.

I was dumbfounded. There was so much in that one exchange that I was not so sure where to stop. Ukraine was right that there was definitely something going on between them. Friendship would be preferable, but by the way he smirked and she blushed, I knew that it could easily explode into something more. I could not bear the thought of that.

Agatha somehow showed me the one thing I did not want for Sherry- a love life. No, I did not want her to be one of those crazy old single ladies with the hordes of cats. Just seeing my sister become so (for lack of a better word) _girly_ made me feel sick. Guys were mean and cruel. The girl already had terrible nightmares. Just thinking about her hooking up with a guy like Turkey and getting dumped just made me want to scream. My sister should be safe. She should be locked away in a tower with Stella where I could keep them away from every bad man in the world.

After all, I did promise Dad that I would protect the family.

Placing the spoon in the table, I gently coughed into my fist. "I don't think that would be a very good idea," I practically sneered. "Shouldn't we all be concentrating on _better _things right now?"

Turkey shot me a glare, as if to snap at me for ruining his chances. Agatha, on the other hand, sighed. "I think she's right," she dejectedly said. Turkey looked down at her with confusion as she went back to her post at the stove. "I have to focus on finding Ebenezer."

He blinked and trailed after her. "Who's that?"

"It's my missing little brother," she explained, sounding very much like an adult. "It's a bit of a long story; I bet you don't want to hear it."

Turkey shook his head and bent his knees until he could comfortably prop his chin on his hand. He looked up at her, batting his eyes. "I like long stories," he said, smirking at his own humor.

The ginger giggled. "Get up, you look ridiculous."

"Only if you tell me."

She sighed, but not out of exasperation. No, a gentle smile was on her face. "Well, I got to give the prisoners their lunch first," she said, bending down to find more clean bowls. "I really don't want to wake up to Denmark yelling about a growling stomach again."

As Turley looked a little disappointed, I knitted my brows. "Did he do that this morning?" I asked, taking another sip of my soup. It would not surprise me- that sicko was like the love child of Alfred's obnoxiousness and Turkey's cockiness.

The very same Turk suddenly snapped his fingers. "Why doesn't Liech do it?" He asked, giving me a hopeful look. "You're friends with Seychelles, right?"

I shook my head and swallowed. "Apparently," I replied. "But just because I'm friends with her doesn't mean that I want to risk getting sexually assaulted by Denmark."

"But he'll be behind bars-"

"No!"

Agatha smacked the back of his head, softly telling him to shut up. Turkey scowled, but gave up. "I guess it was too much to hope for," he mourned, returning to full height. "I guess that you really are afraid of him."

I dropped my spoon.

It was like I was seeing the past again. I was a little kid again, watching Dad as he was about to leave for some part of the Middle East. He had a story to report there and would not be back for months. I remembered him kneeling to my impish height and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't cry, bucko," he said, gently smiling. "You got to be the man of the family while I'm gone, all right? So no more tears. Be strong and take care of your sister, mother, and brother for me, okay?"

Being strong means that I do not yield to anything or anyone. I did not give into drama or fear. I was not afraid of anything—especially Denmark. "Give me to stupid food," I said before lifting my own bowl to my lips and drinking the rest of the soup. Agatha gave me an odd look before handing me the tray of food- two bowls of soup and enough lemons for the both of them. I could not help but to notice the surprised, but victorious glint in Turkey's eyes.

Hands still on the tray, she hesitantly asked, "Are you sure? I can go down there if you want."

I shook my head. "Please, I can do this," I said. I ripped it out of her hands, turned on my heels, and strutted to the stairs. "I'll be back in a few. Do anything inappropriate while I'm gone and heads will roll." I didn't wait for a reply.

The stairs to the dungeon (that sounds so creepy, like I'm going to potions class at Hogwarts) was as dark as I remembered them. Balancing the tray in one hand, I placed a hand on the wall as I walked down. It was also a shorter walk than I remembered. Maybe it was my nervous confusion that made the first trip seem longer. Either way, it was still damp and it still reeked. Soon enough, I stepped on the bottom step and was faced with the door. It was open just a crack and I could hear voices talking.

I blinked. How odd.

Checking to make sure that no one was watching, I looked back up the stairs and placed the tray on one of the steps. I crouched by the door, peering through the crack. It was a sight I was not expecting.

Denmark himself sat right in front of his cell bars, arms hanging out as he looked up at the Netherlands and Alfred. The two blonds were glaring at each other, fists clenched and shoulders tensed. In another stall, Seychelles had her back to them, sleeping soundlessly. " . . . I think you understand our situation, Alfred," the Netherlands hissed, trying to speak as quietly as possible. "We need her."

"I don't think that you understand mine either," Alfred replied, holding his chin up with dignity. "According to you, I have too much as stake for you two to go around and ruin it for me."

Denmark gave an uncertain grin, trying to be the cool one. "I think you both are over reacting," he said, sounding light and careless. "Alfred, my brother and I made a promise that we will do the best we can to make sure that everything turns out for the best. I know that you have a contract, but what we want from her takes priority." Alfred's knuckles were white as he bit his lip, resisting the urge to snap at them and wake Seychelles up. "And brother-" The Netherlands looked down at him. "-I hold most of the responsibility, remember? You kind of did mess this all up, but I got to handle it right now. Just let me fix everything."

I stared, unable to believe what I was hearing. So the Netherlands and Denmark were brothers? And Alfred had some sort of contract involving the same 'her'. "_Her is me," _I realized. "_There's something going on with me." _I could feel the letter from 'He With Your Name' in my pants pocket. "_Could they . . . no. Neither of them share my name."_

Suddenly, Alfred grabbed the Netherlands' shirt and banged him against the bars. A loud bang echoed across the room, causing me to jump and nearly crash into the food. This was a side I had never seen before. Alfred's eyes were blazing with fury as he grinded his teeth together, sneering, "Listen to me, jackass. You just told me that I'm risking my goddamn soul to do this and I'll be damned if I even consider stepping back and letting you two fuck it up."

I stared. All three of these men- this was a side of them I have never seen before. Especially Alfred. He was normally so happy and optimistic, but now . . . "_And what did he mean that his soul was on the line?" _I wondered, vaguely reminded of when the two of us were at the port. All I did was talk to Prussia, yet he looked ready to punch me. "_Could it be part of his contract? The reason for him to mentor me?"_

In a flash, Denmark stood and struck his long arm through the bars. His hand clamped around Alfred's neck, squeezing just enough for him to loosen up on the Netherlands. "Put my brother down," he hissed, low and dark. His normally bright blue eyes seemed dark, yet on fire.

The Netherlands, barely phased by everything, scowled. "You're not my brother," he muttered.

Alfred switched his glare between the two, unsure of who he should hate more. "I was tricked into giving up my soul," he said, dropping the man completely. He placed his now free hands on the Dane's arm. "And fuck it- there is no way I'll let the bad guys get away with it."

"Meow!"

I jumped, seeing Sokka suddenly appear behind me, a few steps up. The men in the other room did not hear us. Frowning, I placed a finger over my lips. "Be quiet, Sokka," I hissed. "I need to see this." But the cat did not listen to me. Nope, it just shook its mane before jumping over the tray and onto my lap. For a second, I thought that all it wanted was some petting time. But as I raised a hand to touch it, Sokka leaped off of my lap and through the opening of the door. I quietly cursed, pulling at my hair. Great, the feline was going to reveal my position.

The pattering of its paws drew their attention. The three blonds look down at it with varying expressions- Alfred's deepening scowl being the key one. "Stupid cat. . . "He growled. "What are you doing here?"

Sokka planted its butt on the ground and meowed.

At that point, I was a little afraid that Alfred was going to kick my cat. So I stood, grabbed my tray, and called, "Get back here, Sokka!" By the time I tapped the door open with my foot, Alfred, the Netherlands, and Denmark were all standing normally; as if they hadn't just gotten into a fight. I blinked, pretending to be surprised. "Oh Alfred, I didn't know that you were in here."

From behind his wired glasses, his eyes narrowed into a glare. I gulped. He saw through my facade. Denmark, however, was carelessly oblivious. "Yo, Liech!" He greeted, waving his arms through the bars like an idiot. "You brought me food! How about for payment, you give me a little kiss?"

The Netherlands sighed. "Would you be quiet, Den? Seychelles is trying to sleep." He grabbed his arm. Apparently, he did it wrongly because Denmark suddenly yelped and pulled it back. He cradled it his chest like a child, rubbing it experimentally and wincing when it stung.

"I don't think that would be a problem." Alfred's voice was quiet to the point of being incredibly deadly. He was clenching his fist as his haunted eyes engulfed my being. Sweat climbed down my back. "You two did drop her some sleeping pills earlier anyways."

"We did not!" The Dutchman, temporarily losing his cool, exclaimed. "She was asleep when I got here!"

Alfred ignored him. Walking past Sokka, Alfred came up to me and grabbed my tray. I shrunk away when he leaned in, hissing, "How much did you hear, Larry?"

I sucked in a breath, forcing myself to stop my trepidation. I had the body language of a scared five year old. There was no way I was going to be afraid of stupid old Alfred or any of the things he could do to me. So I released my breath and stood straight. "I heard enough," I whispered evenly. "Alfred, we need to talk. Now."

He pulled the tray away from me. When he stepped back, his grinning visage was back. "Step back Liech and let the hero deal with the bad guys," he practically yelled, rushing over to the cells. Baffled, I watched Alfred as he ignored the other two's protest and slid each prisoner's food between the cell bars. Once that was done, he merrily grabbed my arm and ran up the stairs, saying, "C'mon Liech! We got some rescuing to do!"

I stumbled after him, not sure of what to say or to do. It wasn't until we were halfway up the damp stairs did my words return to me. "Alfred, what was all that back there?" I asked, hearing Sokka chase after us.

He pretended to be oblivious. "Oh man, Liech. This is really great," he rambled, pulling me into the kitchen. Agatha and Turkey were seated at one of the tables, huddled together as she explained to him the man in her drawing. He was nodding appreciatively, but keeping to himself- for the most part. They sat a little too close for my comfort, but Alfred did not give me time to complain. "I totally think that now will be the bestest time to help out Ukraine!"

I gritted my teeth. "Alfred, you need to slow down!" I yelled. "What was that earlier with Denmark and Nether-"

He pulled me up the stairs onto deck, saying, "You gotta help me out with this, though. It's going to be hard to convince Hong Kong to be straight. Especially with Neder being his boyfriend and all. Hey, I remember this one time back when I was six, there was a kid who lived at a farm by mine . . ."

I groaned. "Would you kindly shut up and slow down for one freaking moment?" We broke onto the deck. No one paid any of us heed as Alfred took a moment to pause in the sunlight. He placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the sun with pride and dignity, like a superhero on a Marvel comic book. Yup, just another stupidity moment. Huffing, I placed my hands on my knees, saying, "Alfred, what did you mean about losing your sou-"

He sharply pointed a finger up at the crow's nest. He proclaimed, "There's Hong Kong! Let's go talk to him!" He ran to the base of the mast, yelling, "Hey! Hong Kong! Mind coming down here for a moment?"

I felt like crying. "Alfred!" The man only grinned and watched triumphantly when Hong Kong silently shrugged and started his descent down the rope. "_He's going to make a stupid move," _I told myself. "_And I'm the only one who could stop him . . . Crap."_

Shaking my head, I trotted to his side. "Alfred, we need to think this through for a second," I said, trying to sound like the mature and calm one when all I wanted to do was scream. "Do you really think that Hong Kong is going to agree with this?"

The blond looked down at me and innocently grinned. "Of course he will," he said. "I'm the hero and everything always works out right for the hero."

It finally clicked in my head. Everything had to turn out right . . . "So what happens if you lose your soul?" I asked. "Will everything turn out right then? Is all of this just you compensating for the fact that you might lose?" I watched as his grin broke. His lips curled downward and his hands returned to its tensed fists. He did not have time to answer. No, Hong Kong was finally here.

His bare feet touching the ground, the Asian was wearing a red Chinese garment. Long slacks as dark as his ebony hair touched his toes. Looking rather bored, his eyes glinted between the Alfred and I. "What's up?" he asked. "You're, like, in a hyper mood today. More so than usual."

Alfred slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him to his side. "There is a lot of amazing things happening today," he said, sounding like a silky voiced salesman. He swiped his hand slowly in front of him, as if giving him a display as he said, "Imagine: you can help the hero save a damsel in distress and mend her broken heart."

The Asian did not look amused. "I kind of have a duty to, like, watch out for the Red Coats," he said. "I don't have time to get involved in your stupidity." I could not resist cracking a small grin. Oh, that was a good one.

My mentor did not let that faze him. His face like a constant mask, he said, "But this is not stupid! Don't you want to help us make Ukraine happy?"

He raised an eyebrow and gave us both doubting looks. "Ukraine?" He repeated his disbelief plain and clear. My mind flashed back to when he was at the bar with her. He was able to tell her about his boyfriend problems, so they had to be close. "Why does this have to do with her?"

"Well as the hero, I promised her that I will be able to find her an awesome lover who does not love her only for her boobs or feels intimidated by them. After putting you through a series of extremely complicated tests, Liech and I have determined that you will be the best match for her."

Hong Kong looked at me, his eyes blank. I was not sure what to say. I wanted to tell him that I had no part in this crap, but something told me to keep my mouth shut. Hong Kong tiredly sighed and pushed Alfred's arm away. "Look, Alfred, I really appreciate the offer and junk but I have a responsibility to my current boyfriend or have you totally forgotten?"

He shrugged. "I get that and all, but just think for a moment- Ukraine is your friend, right? You want to help make her happy, right?" He was forced to nod. "Well this is a way to do it. Just date her for a little while and when she realizes that you're not the one and shit, she'll let you go and she'll know whether she wants to have such high standards of men anymore."

I scowled. "That's really degrading," I scolded, smacking his toned arm. "You make it sound as though it's a crime to have a specific type."

Hong Kong shook his head. "I don't think that was what he meant," he said. "But I do think that you, like, have a point Alfred. Maybe I should talk to her . . ."

"What the hell, Hong Kong!" I jumped as the Netherlands suddenly pushed me aside and ran right up to his boyfriend. Where the frack did he come from? The man exchanged a glare with Alfred before taking the Asian's hands, saying, "Why the hell are you listening to that idiot?"

Alfred grinned, laughing his boisterous laugh. "Well Hong Kong has just agreed to be a hero and hook up with Ukraine!"

The Netherlands's face turned red. He reminded me of a volcano about to blow as he stuttered over his words, trying to make a coherent thought. It was shocking: seeing such a normally cool and collective man lose his composure. His mask was disintegrating until the point here he was completely volatile. "You're breaking up with me?" He screamed.

The every member of the crew looked at us.

Oh no.

Hong Kong pressed his lips. "I am not. I was just saying that I-"

Alfred cocked his brows. "Fuck yeah he's breaking up with you," he said. "Obviously being with Ukraine would be a bajillion times better than fucking some bastard like you." I groaned and smacked him again, reminding him to stop being an unnecessary jerk.

"What the hell, Alfred?" Hong Kong turned to him, hand poised for a slap. "Don't, like, go around saying things that aren't-"

The other blond grabbed his hand, holding it like it was the most precious thing he ever laid eyes upon. "Don't leave me," he begged. "I don't care what the hell you think about me, just please don't fucking leave me! _Please_! I need you!"

There was an odd, almost quiet moment of stillness. The three who had been arguing were panting, their breaths hollow and light. Somewhere, in the background, I could hear Ukraine herself leaving her laundry to see what all of the commotion was. That would be a lifesaver- it would take her strict manners to get these idiots to shut up. Hong Kong was the first to break the silence. "So you don't even care for my feelings anymore," he said monotonously.

The Dutchman's green eyes grew wide. He held his hands out in front of himself, waving them around defensively. "That's not what I meant! You have to believe me, Hong Kong!" He pleaded. "That is _far _from the truth."

He shook his head. "No, it's not." Stepping away from Alfred, he got right into the taller's face, saying, "They say that it, like, takes a dire moment for you to realize just who someone really is. And here I was, thinking that you were totally an understanding and sweet guy. But that's not what I see. Right now, I all I see is a sad, lonely, and possessive man who wouldn't even listen to my side of the situation."

"No, that's not true." To me, the Netherlands sounded desperate. "If you can just let me explain-"

"The fact is that every time I ask you to before, you would always change the subject. What makes now any different from before?" He opened his mouth to reply. Hong Kong cut him off. "There should not be any difference," he said. He closed his eyes, his thick eyebrows drooping as he took a long breath. "I love you, Neder, but I think that you and I need to get our priorities straight. Take some time away from each other."

The Netherlands shook his head again, body quivering from sorrow. I could see tears brimming his eyes, the words that started to form on his lips before being lost forever. I could feel my heart ache. If Stella said anything like that to me, I would be in a similar state, probably worse. I think Alfred could sense how much it was disturbing me since he reached over and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. I felt myself relax. Gently, I placed a hand on his- a silent thank you.

The Netherlands dropped to his knees, his hands on the ground. His chest heaved as the first tears fell onto the wood deck. A few choked sobs only confirmed it. "I am a coward among millions of men," he whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. "Yet my heart has chosen to love a strong one like you . . . I love you."

My ears twitched. Those words! They were in the poem that he wrote for Hong Kong! Emotions overwhelmed me. I buried my face in my hands, taking deep breaths. That was too much. I should be happy that Hong Kong was going to be straight, but this was too heartbreaking. Why did they have to break-up, why? Alfred squeezed my shoulder. "_Oh yeah, because my mentor is the biggest dick alive."_

"What is going on right now?" I breathed a sigh of relief when Ukraine finally intervened. Her short hair shined in the sun as she drank the scene with her eyes. Hands on her hips, she observed the pitiful state of the Netherlands and the tense one of Hong Kong. "Is everything alright or do I need to call my sister out here?"

The corners of Hong Kong's lips curled upward, into something like a grimace. "Everything is, like, fine right now," he said. His ex-lover tensed. "I was just taking care of a few loose ends." He looked down at his feet. "Um, do you want to go somewhere private because I totally need to talk to you right now."

Ukraine gave the Netherlands another concerned look. I could see it in her blue eyes- a debate of whether or not she should intervene. I would like to believe that something to her that the talk was something that had to do with the man on the floor because she gave a motherly smile. "I could use another hand with the laundry."

" . . . Straightie,"

I knitted my brows in confusion. "What's a straightie?" I whispered, looking around for anyone to answer. But everyone around me looked as equally in the dark about it as I was. I don't think any of us had ever heard of that word being used in such a spiteful manner before. Yet, it came from one person and that was the broken blond.

The Netherlands looked up, his despair replaced with fury and anguish. "You mother fucking straghtie," he growled, glaring straight at Ukraine. Her eyes went wide with shock as he climbed to his feet, yelling, "You good for nothing, Goddamn cunt. I swear to God, bitch, you are nothing more than a fucking ,whorish straightie!"

We all exchanged more looks of confusion. Okay, how was _that _an insult? Still, Ukraine pressed her lips together, her eyes brimming with tears. "How _dare_ you say something like that to me," she growled, failing to sound fierce.

"Well who here is going to fucking stop me? Face it, you're nothing but a fucking straight slut."

That was the last straw. The woman who we all saw as our mother broke. She quickly buried her face into her hands, sobbing loudly and unashamedly. "I'm sorry!" She turned and ran back below deck, crying, "I'm so sorry!" Hong Kong shot the Netherlands one last glare before chasing after her.

We all watched unsure of what to do. Would he gain the heart to turn around and apologize? No, he frowned. "Tch, fucking straightie."

"Shut up!" In an instant, Alfred had the country in a headlock. He was squeezing his neck so hard that the Netherland's pasty face was a light red. "How dare saying something like that to her!" He yelled, his knuckles turning white from pressure. I was at a draw. I didn't want Alfred to kill the Dutchman, but I didn't want the Netherlands to escaped unscratched. "You know how sensitive she can be! Ukraine has done nothing but taken care of us and that's how you repay her?"

"Get off of me, human!" He kicked Alfred in the stomach, sending him flying into the mast. The Netherlands rolled onto his back, wiping his mouth as he rose to his feet.

This time, I took action. Without even thinking it through first, I jumped in front of Alfred, spreading my arms out like a shield. "Get away from him!" I yelled. He took a step back. No one- not even myself -thought that I was actually going to do that. Growling, I gave him a challenging look. "You've done enough damage already."

"What the hell is going on here?" The door to the captain's quarters swung open and Belarus came storming out. The moment her blue eyes saw me and the Netherlands, she sprung to action. "Netherlands, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She demanded, marching angrily. The man looked a little taken back when she yanked him towards her. "My brother said that as long as you doitsus are on this ship, no one is to brawl."

"We weren't fighting," he replied, face as blank as a clean slate. "I got into an argument with Hong Kong and Alfred decided to strangle me."

"Excuse me, awesome one coming through!" Prussia pushed through the crew members and to the first mate. Like usual, his face was a little burnt from the sun. Belarus glared at him as he gave an annoyed and cocky smile, saying, "Since no one here is awesome enough to actually tell you that that doitsu made your sister burst into tears and run away, I will."

Belarus's bit her thin, pale lips. Did she chase after her sister or not. "She'll be fine," she reasoned aloud. "Ukraine has thick skin."

Prussia crossed his arms over his chest. "Well that was completely insensitive of you," he said. He did not falter when she sent him a deadly glare. "But anyways, Liech!" He leaped over to me like an excited bunny. He pulled my arms back to my side and held my hands in his. For someone who was sunburnt, he was extremely cold. "Where were you last night?" He asked, red eyes blazing with curiosity. "You never went to bed."

I opened my mouth. "Well, um. . ." Belarus shot me a glare, silently ordering me to keep my trap shut. I was more than happy to—it would be too embarrassing to have to explain that I slept with Russia. But I still had to tell him something or else his childish brain would never let it go. "W-well, you see—"

"Belarus!" Everyone turned to see Turkey strutted onto deck, Agatha trailing behind him like a lost puppy. You know, if my sister was an animal I think that she would be a bunny. I have never seen a ginger rabbit before, but there was something about their lopped ears that described her perfectly. I would be a cat since cats had a sense of dignity to them and I was the only child in my family to have one. With the way Jerry quivered and acted meekly, I would say that he was a hamster.

Hopefully, cat-me would not eat hamster-him.

Belarus gave them a look as sharp as her knives, barking, "What the hell is it, Turkey?"

"You're sister is crying her heart out down there," he said, crossing his arms. "Hong Kong is taking care of her and everything, but I still think that you need to go down there and comfort her. Also, what's a straightie? She keeps on moaning about how that's some sort of insult or something."

Her eyes went wide. "Hong Kong is down there?" She repeated, trying not to choke. "Our lookout?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. What's so wrong about that?"

"There are a lot of things that can be wrong with that." I jumped. I had never heard that voice before. Like everyone else, I turned around to find the source. It was a man, standing on the side rails while holding onto one of the masts ropes. He was decked lavishly in a light blue suit under a red coat—the very same the captain of the Red Coats wore. The man's wavy blond hair clipped his chin as his slim hand rest over the hilt of an undrawn rapier. He grinned and winked. "_Bonjour_."

Prussia, eyes not leaving the newcomer, pushed me behind him. Belarus, meanwhile, reached for the knife strapped to her leg. I coward back, shaking. Frack, it was a freaking _knife_. "What are you doing here, France?" She snarled, looking ready to fight. The rest of the crew did the same- bending their knees and raising their fists. The few that had weapons on them flashed them for the world to see.

France smiled sweetly. "There are a lot of reasons for me being here," he said, effortlessly walking along the rail. His back was drawn back and poised like a ballerina. "I can name the obvious one- this is THE WAR, we all want to go home -but here's one that may not have occurred to you: you have my daughter."

She grimaced. "Idiot. You're outnumbered."

He did not even falter. "Belarus, the brown coat of your brother has the ability to control General Winter, basically the snow and weather. The power of my little bunny's red coat is magic itself, which I happen to be wearing right now." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In a flash, we were surrounded. All along _the Romanov _were the members of the Red Coats, armed and ready to fight.

The Brown Coats gasped and drew back into a circle. I could feel Prussia tightly grabbed my arm. I saw Turkey hold Agatha's hand, whispering for her to stay close. Alfred managed to place a hand on my shoulder. I gulped. We were going to have to fight again.

At last, France's smile turned into a sick, bloody thirsty smirk. "It is never a good idea to trust your own eyes," he said. "So I will say it again: where is my daughter?"

It was obvious that Belarus was panicking. Sweat fell from her forehead and her eyes shifted to every corner of the ship. Her grip on her weapon tighten. After a long quiet moment, she said, "You'll have to fight us for her."

He drew his rapier, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. "Well then- _bon-fucking-jour_." It was the cue to start fighting. The Red Coats cried out as they made a dash towards us, ready to shed blood. Belarus shouted an order to fight before lunging towards France. Their blades met as she quickly balanced on the rail. For a moment, I let myself indulge on the image of the two blonds dance. They moved back and forth, jumping and slashing at each other all while maintaining a perfect balance.

Prussia yanked me. "Let's get you somewhere safe," he said, pulling me along.

Technically, he pulled us along- I was dragging Alfred along with me. He ran in front of me and the next thing I knew, the two men were pulling me along. I tripped and stumbled over my long pants legs, but I dared not stop. There was a deafening thumping in my ears. I was only thinking of one thing and that was my appending death. "_I'm going to die here."_

"Duck!" Suddenly, two hands clasped my shoulders and forced me to the ground in time for the three of us to dodge a sword. It was wielded by someone I didn't know- a dark skinned man wearing a white headdress thing. There was a red band on his arm. Prussia took one glance at him before lunging straight at him.

I screamed, "What are you doing?" Alfred held me back as I watched with wide eyes as they wrestled on the deck. There was a few blood chilling thuds as their fists made contact with each other's skin, before an end finally came.

Wordlessly, Switzerland yanked the man off of Prussia and held him in a headlock. "What the hell are you doing, doitsu?" He yelled, struggling to keep him in place. Already, there was a streak of blood dripping down his cheek. At least the musket strapped to his back made me feel a little bit better.

Prussia slowly brought himself back to his feet. His clothes were ripped and the pallid skin that showed was yellow and purple from bruises. His thin lip was cut, creating a bitter red stream down his chin. "I was arming myself," he said, wiping the blood on his sleeve. None of us knew what he meant until he bent down and picked up the Red Coat's sword. "So then I can, you know, be awesome and keep my girl safe."

Switzerland scowled. His eyes switched between the self-proclaimed awesome one and me. "Just keep my sister safe," he said, strengthening his grip on his victim's neck. "Anything bad happens to her and you die."

He cracked a twisted grin. "I'm too awesome to die."

Alfred, for once, sighed. "Let's get going," he ordered as he stood, picking me up with him. He reached over and grabbed Prussia's arm. "We have to get you-" Suddenly, it grew very cold. And then, we were falling. Prussia, Alfred, and I held hands as we slid along the slick floor, screaming from surprise. Our bodies bumped and crashed into others and lost swords nicked my arms and legs. Alfred hit the rail and I crashed into him. He barely had enough time to protectively wrap his arms around my waist before Prussia crashed into me. His back crushed my nose and forced my head back into the rail. A sharp pain radiated in my temples.

I groaned, "G-get off!" I shoved him away, panting heavily. For a moment I sat there, nurturing my throbbing head. I could feel the cold ice through my pants. "What the hell happened?" I muttered. It was not until I saw Russia calmly walk out, pipe in hand, did it struck me.

He froze the ship- the ground was covered with ice.

"Hello Red Coats," he greeted, calmly looking around. A pleasant smile was stretched across his face. "I see that England is not here. What a coward." He sighed. Suddenly, he swung his pipe into the nearest red band. The poor Asian victim screamed before sliding/falling across the deck. "It's shameful- THE WAR will not end today."

"How do you end THE WAR?" I asked dumbly, still massaging my temples. At least Alfred had enough humanity to keep his mouth shut and spare me the headache.

Alfred stood, once again lifting me to my feet. "I already told you how," he said curtly. "Now get up." His face was drawn into seriousness. He looked almost angry, like when he was talking to the Netherlands and Denmark. "You too, Prussia. We'll need that sword."

Prussia rolled onto his back and looked up at him. "What? You're not going to help me up?" He asked, holding his weapon close.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "You can manage it yourself," he said. "Now-" He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and forced me to kneel. A loud bang rang throughout the air, causing a ring to appear in my ears.

I yelped, rubbing my ears. "What the frack!" I yelled, trying to hear myself. My voice was a small muffle, barely audible. I could feel a little blood drip from my ears. "What the . . . oh my God! Did someone just try to shoot at us?"

My mentor nodded. His voice was a little muffled as well, but I could slowly feel my hearing return and his words became more clear with every breath. "Let's get below deck. We need to get to safety _now _or else one of us is going to get shot."

"That's not going to be possible." We looked at Prussia. Frowning, he pointed a finger at the stairs. He didn't need to say anything for us to understand. There was a thick layer of ice over the entrance. We would not be able to get down there. We were stuck.

I felt my heart drop.

"Well what are we going to do now?" I shrieked, grabbing the rail and helping myself up. I offered Alfred a hand and pulled him to his feet. The man was barely standing before he pushed me back to the ground. It happened so quickly that by the time I was sliding into Prussia's arms, I had not even realized yet that someone had tried to attack us.

To me, it did not matter how the attacker even looked like. All I could see was Alfred's face was pain as he held his arm above him, a machete plunged deep into the skin. Prussia held me closer to him, whispering hushes and he tried to get me to look away. But I could not rip my eyes away. There was so much blood. It was thick and it poured from his wound like a waterfall. It created a puddle on the ground, soaking his bare feet. Then, eyes traveling down the length of the freaking blade, I saw the white of his bone.

I curled over and slapped a hand over my mouth. No, I was not going to barf. I did it once and I was not going to allow myself that luxury again. Only weak people were so squeamish with blood.

Glasses cracked, Alfred looked at us with a painfully determined face. "G-get to a s-safe spot," he growled through his teeth. "I-i'll hold- oof!" His attacker kicked him in the stomach.

I grasped Prussia's shirt sleeve. "Why are they doing that?" I demanded, the words flying out of my mouth rapidly. "He's a human, they can't-"

Prussia shook his head and quickly rose to his feet. "It's THE WAR," he said, pulling me up. His bruised arm wrapped itself around my waist. The other was before us, holding the sword in a defensive manner. "And like any other war, people forget morals. And I think I know where to go. C'mon."

This time, we were much more careful when he ran across the ice. Prussia would have me jog with him a few steps before pausing and letting the ice slide us the rest. It was tricky, but it worked. None of the other Red Coats tried to attack us. There were all preoccupied by their own battles. Currently, Switzerland was grappling the man with the white head piece from before. Russia was fighting off five people at once with his pipe. Belarus and France were up at the mast, dancing with swords among the sails like Peter Pan and Hook.

"Hey! Prussia! Liech!" Turkey waved a hand in the air before returning to his fight. His opponent was a pretty, dirty blond woman who utilized a combination of a small hand ax and boxing as her weapons. He was the only thing standing between her and the captain's quarters. And there, trembling and crying at the door, was Agatha.

A sense of duty overcame me. Taking the initiative, I turned my direction towards the woman. I think Prussia understood what I wanted to do since he rushed in front of me. Without much thought, he stopped his feet and started sliding to Agatha. As he passed, he struck the back of the woman's head with the sword's hilt. She was out cold before his hands hit the wall. He grinned. "Was that awesome or what?" He asked as I slid to them.

I stopped right next to him, ready to reach over and comfort Agatha when she reacted. "Fucking idiot!" She screamed. The second Turkey sheathed his twin swords, she lunged towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. I stood there, dumbfounded, as she started wailing loudly. "Don't you ever do something so stupid again you asshole! Don't get yourself fucking killed! Holy shit, I'm scared!"

At first, the Turk was stiff and unresponsive. He held his arms away from her as he stared down in confusion. But then a gentle smile appeared on his lips. "It's all right," he hushed, petting her hair and rubbing her back. "I'll keep you safe, I swear." I stared. More than anything, I wanted to be the one who protected her. I wanted to hold my sister close and tell her that everything was going to be fine.

I wanted to be the lifesaver.

I wanted to save Stella's life.

Prussia sighed. "Look, I admire the touching moment and everything, but I need to know if there is any place that's safe right now. The ice's ruining a lot of our options."

Turkey, still holding her close, looked up. "That was what I was trying to do," he said. "Before that jackass attacked me, I was trying to get little Miss Stu here into Russia's room."

She shook her head, burying herself deeper into his chest. She cried, "Don't leave me alone!"

Prussia knitted his eyebrows. "Will it be safe enough?" He asked.

"Well I fully intend on staying guard and making sure that no one gets in- that is, if one little girl would just let me go." Again, her orange locks went side to side. No.

He nodded, turning around to me. A fearful look glinted in his eyes as he grabbed my shoulders, saying, "Liechtenstein, you have to go in there with her and be safe. I'll stay out here and defend it with Turkey, okay?"

I grabbed his shoulder, probably giving him a matching look. The sight of Alfred's arm was burned into my eyes. I looked at Prussia and only saw a knife in his face- the blood gushing, the pearly white bone. "Do you promise me that you'll not die?" I whispered, tearing up.

This time, his grin was more for my comfort than anything else. "I'm awesome and awesome people don't die."

I pressed my lips. I felt like a coward; I did not want to be outside in the bloodbath any longer. But . . . "Agatha goes in first," I said. "Just in case."

Turkey nodded, gently and delicately forcing her to lift her face from his chest. True to the Sue way, her face was red and blotchy and the whites of her eyes pink. No one in my face was an attractive crier. Like a father to his daughter, Turkey forced her to look up at him, asking, "Did you hear that? Liechtenstein's going to be in there with you and Prussia's going to help me defend. You have nothing to worry about."

She sniffled. "But what if you-"

"I'm going to make it out of this alive," he said evenly. "We made plans to watch the sunrise together, right? I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Dying would mean missing it, right?"

"I'll be here to protect you, sis," I said, straining for a confident smile. It looked more like a grimace than anything. Prussia wrapped his arm around my shoulders, voicing a strong agreement. Nothing about him seemed fake. I think I understood why Liechtenstein liked him so much. He was so genuine sometimes, childish even.

Agatha soberly nodded. "You better keep your promise," she hollowly growled. Letting go of Turkey completely, she watched the iced ground as she opened the door and walked inside. I inwardly sighed. She was treating it like a death march- what a drama queen.

I started to follow her, but ended up crashing into the ground.

My mouth slammed painfully shut, sending a fiery wave up my face. I cried out. The next thing I knew, someone was pulling me towards them, forcing me to sit up. A blade was jammed under my chin. I looked up at Turkey and Prussia. One was slamming the door shut as he demanded that Agatha remained calm while the other pointed his sword at me. I blinked. "Prussia, why are you . . ." Then it hit me. I was being held captive. The blade under my neck was the woman's axe. The woman Turkey was fighting over was holding me. Did she trick us?

Prussia bared his teeth like a threatened dog. He growled, "Let go of her, Belgium."

The woman, Belgium, shook her head. "She's part of my team," she said. "I have as much right to take her back with me as I do to kill her." Her words made me shake.

Turkey reached for his swords. "If you don't let her go, I'll-"

She pressed the blade closer, saying, "Even think about it and she gets it." He gritted his teeth, but ultimately dropped his hand. "Good. Now surrender." Turkey and Prussia exchanged a look. I could see it in their eyes- was Liechtenstein really worth it? Both of their swords dropped to the ground. Apparently, yes. Yes I was.

"D-don't do that!" I yelled, struggling against her hold. Belgium cursed, holding my arms back as she tried to keep hold of the axe. They looked down shamefully. "C'mon, you two! Fight!" The ax handle struck my head. Gasping, my vision immediately started to give out. Through the haze of the fading colors, I could see some men grabbing Turkey and Prussia and binding their hands behind their backs.

I closed my eyes, choking back a sob. A warm stream of something, most likely blood, fell down my head. My head. My head hurt so much. I couldn't think, I could breathe. Frack. I'll do anything, just get rid of the pain in my bloody head.

The lights in my head started to go out.

I could feel my consciousness slip from me . . .

"You!"

. . . and it was lost.

* * *

**The Room: Day 12**

Erwin stared at his brother. Bud was his usual self- sitting cross legged on the ground as he rubbed his arm, muttering something about how Erwin did not have to hurt him that badly. Erwin, meanwhile, did not understand how he could be relaxed. Erwin had just been in the middle of something very important, but very also very dangerous. For both of them to be called here by Himaruya surely meant that there was something very wrong.

Erwin did something very wrong.

"Stop panicking, Winny," Bud said, wincing as his hand ran over some invisible wound. "Even if Hima-pops is mad, I told ya that I was going to take the blame for you. Relax."

The darker haired one groaned. "Who says that he'll listen to you?" He demanded. "And what if it's not about the girl? What if he found out about Aluino?" Erwin never really stopped thinking about their third brother. He was like them: blessed with lucidity so that they may assist their father, Himaruya, in achieving his goals. But unlike them, Aluino turned his back on them. He was a traitor, a traitorous brother. Himaruya ordered them to get rid of Aluino completely.

Erwin clenched his fists. The thought of what he did to his brother gave him the chills.

Bud, however, gave him a hostile look. His face drawn and threatening, the man's voice was somehow still light and chirpy as he said, "We agreed that he would never bring up that traitor ever again, Winny. We have that situation completely under control. He isn't going to come back anytime soon."

"I would hope half of much, considering that I specifically asked you two to kill him." Erwin's heart dropped as Himaruya briskly walked past him. His heart was pounding unmercifully inside of his chest. He was here. His master and lover was here.

Bud gave his usual greeting of shouting out the usual nickname before jumping to hug him. Himaruya gently patted his back, allowing him a moment to dwell before pushing him away, saying, "That is very nice Bud, but we have more important matters that must be attended to." Bud jumped back to Erwin's side, joining his brother in erecting his back and keeping his hands at his sides.

Himaruya smirked, a chuckle threatening to leave his pale lips. "I am very glad to see that you both are doing well," he said, folding his arms behind his back. Chills danced down Erwin's back as his father started pacing around them, circling them like a vulture. The heels of his white shoes clicked on the floor, complimenting his voice as he said, "At least, I presume that neither of you are doing well since you both were told to create a psychological distraction for the boy and that has not been achieved."

Erwin gulped. "What do you mean?" he asked softly. "Mr. Sue is being distracted."

Bud nodded eagerly, pouting his lips like a child. "Yeah! I mean, have you seen the way he's thinking right now? Every time he looks at her, his mind is blocked by thoughts of protecting her. He's not worrying about the vial or anything like that!"

"And at what cost?" He stopped right behind the light haired one. "Is it right that the cost of distracting dear old Mr. Sue should be the affections of my dear Sadiq?" He asked spitefully.

Erwin placed a hand on his chest. He stared down at himself in amazement. He's known all along that the root of everything was the personification of the ex-Ottoman Empire: Republic of Turkey. This should not be a surprise. "_But why does that hurt?" _He wondered, trying to massage the pain away. "_Being with Turkey makes Himaruya happy and that's the only thing that matters. So why does it . . ."_

"Furthermore, I believe that you let too much information slip to our client." This time, Himaruya walked around him, swooping right into Bud's face. Bud did not blink. He held his shoulder back and stared straight on, seemingly immune to his hard look. It was a cruel combination of anger, disappoint, and irritation. Himaruya leaned in a little bit more, growling, "I told you to not let him know about the loss of his soul. Yet, you did it anyways. Why?"

"It is part of the psychological trauma for both Alfred and the boy," Bud replied evenly.

He quirked a light eyebrow. "Really? Perhaps I need to remind you of a few little details you may have forgotten-" He struck Bud across the cheek, sending him onto the reflective ground with a bloodied face. He wasted no time in stomping his foot on his back, harshly yelling, "I specifically said to never mention the soul part! The possible loss of Sadiq's soul ignited a dangerous flameof rebellion inside of the girl! If we are to learn from the mistakes of our past, then we will be wise to do whatever necessary to keep the boy on leash, even making sure that Alfred remains in the dark!"

Erwin closed his eyes. He did not like this. He did not like seeing Bud in pain as much as he hated seeing Himaruya upset. But he had to take a side. His brother promised him that he would take the down fall, but . . .

Erwin cleared his throat. Both of the light haired men's eyes snapped at him, each with varying degrees of annoyance. Erwin played with his fingers. "Excuse me for saying this Himaruya, but I believe that by telling Mr. Sue of the consequences of the loss of our dear Alfred's soul will actually keep him on his leash," he said, prim and proper. "Mr. Sue naturally desires to be strong. By revealing the possible loss of his soul, Alfred become a hero to Mr. Sue. He's tragic and he has his own struggles, yet he hides it with a bright and ignorant smile. Mr. Sue will admire him feel loyal to him, a component that their relationship currently lacks. And, in the long run, his loyalty to Alfred will be better for the plan."

Himaruya observed him for a long moment as Bud stared with an open mouth. "Is that really what you believe?" He quietly asked. Erwin gulped and nodded.

It was a long moment.

Then finally, he cracked a gentle smile and stepped away from Bud. "I see the point that you are trying to make. I do believe that this choice will also have many negative consequences against our favor. But-" he placed a hand on his neck. "-As we all know, my existence here is strained. I cannot do much to fix this problem nor make sure that it succeeds. Thus, I will trust you, my dear Erwin and my darling Bud, to handle the situation. Understand?"

They both nodded. His smiled grew wider. "I knew that I can rely on you both." And like that, he was gone.

Bud rubbed his face, wiping away the blood before it stained his white clothes. "I told you that I could handle it," he said.

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 13**

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had no idea where I was. Through hazy eyes, I realized that I was lying on a colt in the middle of a large deck. The sky above me was an orange color, the colors looking gray against it. I moaned and turned my aching head. All around me were unfamiliar people, all wearing red armbands. I blinked. Why was . . .

I seized up. I was captured! Some Red Coat chick named Belgium knocked me out and took Prussia and Turkey captive as well! I sprang to my feet, ignoring the dizziness in my head. I had to find them, I had too. . .

It didn't take too long. By the looks of it, the captain of the Red Coats- England -was giving a grand presentation of his new captives (so grand that the Asian girl in pink assigned to nurse me was happily distracted). He was surrounded by a thick crowd of pirates with red armbands, all avidly watching and cheering at the right moments. Although I could hear his crisp accented voice, I could not see anything. "_Looks as though I have to go in."_

So doing what I did best, I rolled up my sleeves and dove straight into the crowd. A few people gave a few exclamations as I passed, wondering aloud what I was doing up. I ignored them, concentrating on a single goal: finding out if Prussia and Turkey were all right.

What I saw was a mixed blessing.

On the bright side, Prussia and Turkey were in relatively good shape. Their arms were bounded behind their backs as they were forced to kneel on the ground. But at the same time, their shirts and vests were torn off, revealing the bruises and cuts on their toned chests. England loomed in above of them, smirking as he proudly gave his long speech. ". . . We all fought valiantly, and even though we did not succeeded in bring back Seychelles, we did manage to bring back Liechtenstein. Not only that, but we have two new prisoners to-"

"Bullshit."

England paused, his bright green eyes looking a little surprised as he cocked a thick eyebrow. Up close, I saw that he did have a slight stature under that big red coat and pirate hat. He raised his sword, sticking it underneath his Prussian speaker's chin. "Really? What makes you say that?" He asked. "I can count perfectly and I will have you know that I see that both you and Prussia are my prisoners."

As Turkey looked down (smart enough to keep his mouth shut), Prussia shrugged. "I'm not arguing about that part," he said in that stuck-up voice of his. "I was actually objecting to the fighting valiantly part. No offense to anyone here- you all kicked ass. But you, England, were nowhere during the fight."

A hand landed on my shoulder. "That idiot," Alfred whispered, loud enough for only me to hear. I jerked, barely believing that my mentor was standing right there, so casually amongst the enemy. He looked better than the other boys; His bruises and cuts were far less and there was a thick bandage on his arm. "Is he trying to get himself killed?"

I gaped. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Liechtenstein, lass, what are you doing up already?" I froze. All eyes traveled to me as England spoke. Prussia and Turkey both turned- looking a little surprised, but defeated. Prussia especially had this empty look in his red orbs. "You should be resting."

I looked up at Alfred, expecting him to help me, but he was merely motioning for me to do something. I looked back at Prussia and Turkey. When I was being threatened, they both were willing to do whatever it took to keep me safe. Plus Turkey was determined to keep Agatha safe, even at the cost of his own life. He tried to protect my sister when I couldn't. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, saying, "Captain, I know that these men are the enemy, but they are not bad. I beseech you to listen to reason and exact mercy on them, especially the one who insulted you."

England smiled gently. I flinched. Okay, why was he doing that? He should be growling and resisting, not smiling like that boastful, blond smart-ass in my English class. He sheathed his sword, giving me a kind look as he said, "Lass, I have been in many wars before this and I understand the gift of kindness onto others. I only planning of imprisoning Turkey normally. Actually, Holy Rome?" A blond, teenage kid in dreary black clothes popped out of the crowd. "Can you take Turkey down to the others. I'm sure that he will enjoy the company."

Holy Rome gave a curt greeting to his younger brother (Prussia grinned madly at that) before lifting Turkey by his ropes and guiding him below deck and to the prison. Turkey gave no kind of objection or struggle. With that, I took another challenging step forward, Alfred joining me at my side. I asked, "What about Prussia?"

England's smile turned into a grimace. "Prussia, unfortunately, will remain in solitary confinement until he learns to give a little respect."

"How is that merciful?" I demanded. I immediately shut my mouth again. What was I thinking- objecting to England like that? Was I trying to get myself killed?

Again, he gave me that pitiful look. He walked up to me, not as a friend, but as an enemy. In a way, it relieved my nerves just enough that I did not shrink away when he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Would you rather I torture him? England asked. "Trust me, this is far more merciful."

"England?" We both looked down. Tugging on England's coat was two ten year old boys, both blond with bluish eyes. One, wearing a respectful pair of pants and a blue shirt, had wavy hair that resembled France's. The other, wearing torn shorts and a worn shirt, looked like a young version of Alfred.

I looked between the two, speechless at the striking similarities. Just give the younger one a pair of glasses and they would be identical twins of different ages. I turned to Alfred, intending on demanding what was going on, when I saw his face. It was drawn, eyes looking sorrowfully down at the child as England knelt to the ground, placing an affectionate hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, America," he said, like a father to his child. "I was just taking care of a few things. I told you that I was going to teach you how to sword fight today, yes?"

America nodded. "Uh-huh! You said that I can use the big sword too!"

England laughed and rose to his feet. "Well, I'm finished here. France will make sure that Prussia goes where he needs to be. Let's go then." And with a hand on the child's back, he lead him right past me . . .

. . . And right through Alfred.

I placed my hands over my mouth, resisting the urge to exclaim my surprise. England just walked _through _Alfred! He didn't even acknowledge him- only lead America away with an affectionate smile. I looked around, realizing that no one else looked taken back. Was I the only one who could see him? Was Alfred a ghost?

Experimentally, I grabbed Alfred's arm. Not only could I still touch him, but I could tell that he was shaking. Two streams of silent tears fell silently from his eyes, clinging to his cheeks, chin, and neck. His free hand was clenched into a tight fist. Alfred's lips were pressed and his expression emotionless, almost numb, like it was too painful to even express.

I tighten my grip on him. "Alfred, why did he . . ." But I could not complete my sentence. I could not bring myself to. The pain in Alfred's face was so intense, that I didn't know what exactly _was _the right thing to say.

"What's going on here?"

My mouth slowly fell open. I was wrong- there was someone else here who could see him.

And that person was Prussia.

* * *

**MW: **Was this worth the wait or what? I told you darlings that I have Alfred's situation completely under control. Why do you doubt my abilities?

Anyways, I really like this chapter. I actually think that it's the longest one yet. We're just about half way through the story actually (15 chapters, again), so that means that the next 8 chapters are going to contain a lot of excitement and character conclusions. ;)

I hope you all enjoy and thank you all for reading!

**No Notes**

**Next Chapter: **There is something definitely going on with Alfred and Larry is determined to find out what. But how can he when he's on the enemy ship?

**I promise that it wouldn't take me another month to update! Sorry again for the wait!**


	8. Alfred Becomes Everyone's Favorite

**MW: ***strums guitar* I am a dick~ I promised that I would get the next chapter out within a month and I didn't~ You can all hate my guts~ Oh yes, I am a dick~

**SEK: **You know Wolf, I highly doubt swearing in the AN is going to go over well with the readers.

**MW: **I do what I want. Anyways, sorry again for not updating. We had AP testing, finals, and I had my driver's test. But now that summer's here, we can hopefully update more often and maybe perhaps be finish before school starts? I mean, my original plan was to have this story done by the end of school, but we're only half way through. :I

**SEK: **Yeah and aren't you also starting another story about the tomato gang being serial killers?

**MW: **Yup, not a good idea since I still gotta do this, Within Ash and Snow, and Love Sucks. Oh well, I'll manage. Also, I published a one-shot. It's kind of angsty, but it's called "Prickling my Skin". Go check it out!

Thank you all for over a hundred reviews and I hope you aren't disappointed in this chapter!

**Chapter Summary: **Larry finally dives into who Alfred is and what he is doing here.

**Warnings: **Strong language, sexual themes, and some yaoi and beastiality.

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing because I am a dick~

* * *

**~Chapter 8~**

**In Which Alfred Becomes Everyone's Favorite **

"_When I see ghosts they look perfectly real and solid - like a living human being.. and sometimes it is hard to tell who is a ghost."_

**-Christ Woodyard, American Author**

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 12**

The moment I realized that Prussia also saw that Alfred was not tangible, I immediately made to ask England if he could even see my mentor. Abandoning Alfred, I pulled up the waist of my slacks and quickly ran after him. The back of his fluttering red coat was barely in my grasp when the Asian girl sent to watch over me finally returned to her job. Stepping in front of me, she gently turned me around and started making me go down the stairs to below deck. "Are you feeling alright, Liechtenstein?" She asked, her kind smile never fading.

I was at the point where I couldn't think properly. I stuttered over my words, trying to get my mouth to work properly. "D-did you s-see that?" I asked at last, pointing to where Alfred stood. He hadn't moved from his haunted stance. "England he- _right through Alfred_ and-"

"What are you pointing at?" She asked. Her chocolate eyes were looking at Alfred, but she just could not see him. If she couldn't see him, then he wasn't human. If he wasn't human, then _what _was he?

I was starting to feel desperate. "But he's _right there!" _I screamed, emphasizing my pointed finger. By now, people were staring. Not at him, but the crazy girl who thought that he existed. "How can you not see him? He's-"

"Shut up!" Alfred snapped his head towards me. His fist were tightly clenched and his shoulders shook from repressed trembles. His eyes- oh his eyes. They were darker, glaring like poisoned knives at my soul. For once, the vivid blue hue was spiteful. Contritely, I opened my mouth, ready to say something, but he cut me off. "Shut the fuck up, Larry! I'm a fucking ghost, okay? And now the one person in the fucking world who I love can't fucking see me! Just-" He groaned and stormed off. "Fuck off!"

He stomped his feet through the rest of the Red Coats, going to the stairs leading below deck. Along the way, he passed by an extremely confused Prussia. "You're a ghost?" He exclaimed, fighting against his French restrainer. France gave him a confused look and only held him tighter. I watched with a sinking feeling as Prussia suddenly looked at me. "And what did he mean by 'Larry'? Who's Larry?"

Apparently, our ruckus was causing so much trouble that England had to tell America to wait as he sorted everything out. This time, he looked extremely ticked. "Get him to solitary confinement right now," he ordered, sending Prussia a poisonous glare. Prussia continued to struggle, kicking his legs and screaming to know what was going on. In the end, the Red Coats had to get China, Vietnam, and Poland to help France carry him away. They held his arms and legs and carried him below deck, trying to hush him with reassurances that they weren't going to hurt him.

"And Taiwan-" I jumped, realizing that England was looking at the Asian girl. "-I think Liechtenstein needs to rest," he said. "Can you please take her to her room now?"

Taiwan grabbed my arm, quietly telling me that everything will be okay. You know, those kind of things. But that did not matter- this was my chance. "Could you see him?" I asked suddenly, taking a step forward. Taiwan swore and tried to pull me back again. England, meanwhile, furrowed his eyebrows at me. "There was a man on the deck, standing right next to me. He looks like an adult version of America. Could you see him?"

For a long moment, England was silent. It felt as though the whole crew held their breath in anticipation. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed, saying, "Check her head too, Taiwan. Make sure Russia didn't give her brain damage."

My mouth hung open. I wanted to make sure. I wanted to grill him until I was sure that the jerk was telling me the truth, but I knew that it was time to stop. There was some battle fought here that I lost. For now, all I could do was sit back and formulate a new plan.

I let Taiwan lead me away, finally going below deck myself. Unlike _The Romanov, _the Red Coat's boat (so properly named _The Oberon) _was gigantic. I could immediately tell the difference. Instead of stepping into a dining hall/cannon room, we were greeted by a lamp-lit hallway. It was narrow and winding. It extended down both directions, extending into different hallways and corridors.

I whistled in appreciation. Compared to this, Russia's ship was a piece of crap.

Taiwan pulled me down a hallway, made a left, down another hallway, down another steep stair case, and to a door. I was relieved when we both stopped in front of it. I didn't want to be further intimated by the sheer size of this place. Anyways, the door was an ordinary one of dark mahogany. There was nothing special or unique about it. For a moment, I stood there awkwardly as I tried to figure out why she was giving me a look of anticipation. Then it hit me.

"Oh, this is my room," I said, trying not to sound surprise. I scratched the back of my head, laughing nervously. To her credit, the smile plastered on her face did not falter for a second. I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, saying, "Well, I guess I better be, um, resting now."

She eyes softened. "That would be best," she replied. The girl quickly peeked over my shoulder and at the room. "Excuse all the dust. I tried my best to keep it clean for you, but no one of knew if we were ever going to get you back." I assured her again that she really didn't have to worry about that before at last sending her on her way.

Sighing, I stepped inside and closed the door shut behind me. Lucky for me, there was also a lock. I grinned and quickly put it to good use. Finally, I was completely alone. Sighing, I turned around and leaned against the door as I slid to the ground. "Holy frack," I whispered, placed the heel of my palm on my forehead. I ran my fingers through my short locks. Alfred was . . . and Gilbert . . . Stella was still . . . where do I even start?

I groaned. I needed to write it all down. I needed to vent all of my unlinear thoughts onto paper. I needed to _see _what my problems were. First, I needed to find some paper.

Liechtenstein's room was small. Without the bed or the desk beside it, I would be able to barely pace three long strides in her body. A layer of dust covered everything, making my nose twitch with failed sneezes. There was really nothing to give away that it was even hers. No pictures nor knick-knacks. Heck, there wasn't even a window for her to breathe out of. "_I hate it here," _Liechtenstein said, her voice soft and clear.

I looked down, picking at the fabric of my slacks. "Why?" I asked aloud. I didn't feel like speaking to her in my head. Right now I wanted to hear my own voice. The only problem with that was the fact that I was in her body, not mind. Her voice was mine.

For a long moment, Lichtenstein was silent, musing in the past. Just as I started thinking that I was being too invasive, she spoke. "_I was lonely. Everyone here claims that they missed me, but they never noticed me in the first place. I was invisible. When Russia took us, I was grateful. It meant that I was with my brother again. I was with Prussia- I was with people who actually cared about me."_

I leaned back, taking a long breath. "I'm sorry."

"_Don't be. It's not your fault." _We were silent for a moment. "_I have a journal you can write in. It's under my mattress. There's a pencil in the desk."_

I took a breath of relief "Thank you," I said as I pushed myself off the ground. I went to the bed first, lifting the mattress a few inches to grab the journal. It looked a little like mine, though it was thicker and the leather that bound it was a light brown, not black. Once I fished out the pencil, I sat on the edge of the bed and started a list:

_Things that are wrong with this situation:_

_-I am with the Red Coats who I have no relation with whatsoever._

_-Turkey and Prussia are here as well, but they're separated. T's in the normal prison and P's in solitary confinement. Liech probably knows where those are._

_-Alfred is a ghost. I have no idea why or how, but he looks exactly like America. It's a touchy issue. It has something to do with- I'm guessing- England. _

_-It also probably has to do with the loss of his soul that Netherlands and Denmark mentioned earlier._

_-Prussia knows that I'm Larry. _

_-Stella is still in danger. _

"None of this is good," I said, holding the pencil to my lips. Each line seemed heavier than the last, creating a dark ocean for me to drown in. And believe me- I was drowning. It felt as though I was suffocating. My chest was heavy and my lungs could not drink enough air. I closed my eyes, regulating my breaths. "Liech, what do we do?" I asked helplessly.

I could feel her weigh the situation, perhaps move around in the black expanse of the void. "_I think that we need to find Alfred and get the truth from him,_" she said. "_If he's calm enough, he can help us figure out how to deal with Prussia."_

The ends of my lips curled upward ever so slightly. Opening my eyes, I breathed, "Thank you, Liech." I started to edge off the bed, ready to start with our quest, when the girl made a small peep. I paused and looked up. For some reason, I felt as though her plane of being was upward, to the sky. "Is there something wrong?"

My head was silent for a long moment. Liechtenstein muttered a few soft things to herself- nothing I would understand. Hesitantly, she asked, "_Before you go, can you do me favor?" _

I blinked and sat back on the bed. "Anything."

"_In my journal, towards the front, there is a passage written about a year ago. Can you read it please?" _ I wanted to ask her what was it was about, but I could feel how nervous she was. Asking her might make her uncomfortable and with everything she's done for me, I couldn't bear to do that to her. So instead, I wordlessly did as I was told. I leafed through the parchment pages, looking for the entry she was talking about. I thought I found it a few times, but she would just tell me that I had to move on to the next. Eventually, I found the entry she was looking for. Like all the others, it was written in narrow, black cursive. It didn't appear any different in size or length. I could feel Liechtenstein gather her courage. "_Read it out loud," _she ordered.

I scrunched my forehead, peering at the text. "Why-"

"_Please Larry."_

A little bug of guilt chewed on my conscience. There was a tone to her voice, a small desperate one. I wanted to swipe it away and the only way to do that was to do what she told me to. I could literally feel her grow happier when I cleared my throat and held the book to my face. "Dear Diary," I read. "Today, Prussia came over to visit Switzerland and me. For some reason, I didn't want to retreat to my room like usual. I sat down next to Switzerland (he would not let me sit anywhere else) and listen to him gloat about his latest victory against Austria. I like the way his red eyes light up when he talks about those kinds of things. When he left, Prussia mentioned how much better I would look with my hair cropped. Then, without asking permission, he swooped down and wrapped me in a tight hug. I did not feel threatened. When I was in his arms, I felt the safest I have ever felt in my life. It did not matter that Switzerland chased him away afterwards, waving his weapon in the air. Diary, I lied to you. This all happened last month, but I cannot get Prussia out of my head. I want to see him again, but Switzerland wouldn't let him. Tonight, I'm going to cut off my hair. All of it."

When the passage ended, I was quiet for a moment. I gently placed the journal on my knee, unsure of how to feel about that. It was so personal- why would she show something like this to me? This was something a girl kept locked up in her heart and never revealed to anyone. I stared down at it for a long moment, thinking. I softly asked, "Liechtenstein . . . why did I read this?"

I think she was prepared for my question since she immediately explained, "_This was the first time I ever admitted to myself that I had feeling for Prussia."_

I shrugged, saying, "Okay, so how is that important?"

"_If Alfred tells you that Prussia has to be . . . _dealt _with, I want you to remember this," _she said. Beneath the gentle politeness of her voice was a fiery venom- something that told me to never underestimate what she can do. "_I want you to remember that he is my motivation just as much as Stella-" _My heart jumped. "-_is for you."_

I picked at my- her -nails. I could see the walls that she built around me. If I let any harm come down upon Prussia, I would be betraying my own beliefs with Stella. We were both, in a way, fueled by the same flame.

I didn't know what to say. There was nothing on my tongue that would directly respond to her. I played with the edges of the journal. "I didn't know that your hair was long," I said, changing the subject.

The girl lightly chuckled, as if this was all a small, childish game we were playing. "_Yes, it was in two long braids. I actually cut it so that it was a boy's length- like Prussia's, but Switzerland's forcing me to grow it back."_

"It kind of looks like his," I replied, smirking. Who knew that there was a rebel beneath that cute face?

"_Yes is does." _This time, our silence was mutually comforting. She knew that I was not going to hurt Prussia and I knew that I could trust her. "_We should go look for Alfred now," _Liechtenstein said.

I rose to my feet and quickly hid the journal again. "Can you make sure that I don't get lost here?" I asked, making sure that the mattress looked perfect again. "That's only if you wouldn't strain yourself."

"_I'm not taking control of my body, so I'm not using much energy." _

I smiled. "Well that's good." I threw open the door and stepped back into the narrow hallway. "Okay, so where to first?" Liechtenstein sighed and reminded me that I had to communicate through thoughts in public. She directed me down the hall, telling me to check the kitchen first.

"_Alfred eats like a pig," _she reasoned. "_He's bound to be near the food-go up those stairs."_

"_Well he was kind of screaming at me the last I checked," _I told her, trailing a hand against the wall as I climbed up. "_Maybe he'll be somewhere a bit more. . . thought provoking."_

"Thought provoking indeed." The next thing I knew, my face was against the wall. My arms hung lifelessly at my sides as the feeling drained from my nerves. At first, I thought that it was Liechtenstein causing the numbness, but then two arms appeared at my sides, encasing me in a human prison. A cold breath danced around the rim of my ear as a familiar voice whispered, "Hello, Mr. Sue."

My heart fell to the ground. Not only was that the voice of the mystery man that Alfred talked to in the alley, but the way he said my name- the fact that he even knew it -meant only one thing. "Erwin," I whispered. I wished that I could speak louder, but my numbness prevented me from making my mouth any bigger. What would I say anyways? Would I demand to know why he was here? Or why he was talking to Alfred in the alley?

"_He's here to intimidate me," _I reasoned, sucking in a large gulp of air. "_And he was probably doing the same to Al earlier."_

I could hear him smirk. "I'm glad that you recognize me," he said coolly. "How long has it been since our last meeting? Two weeks?" I was silent. Erwin moved a cold hand to my neck, gently caressing Liechtenstein's skin. Shivers and goosebumps blossomed wherever his fingers touched. "So tell me, Mr. Sue, are you enjoying your sister?"

I grinded my teeth. He brought her here. He brought _my sister _to this hell hole. More than anything, I wanted to bust his jaw. I wanted to strike him until he bled. At the very least, I needed to see his freaking face. I tried to turn my head, but my body would not respond. My neck was as solid as a statue.

Erwin must have known my intentions since he purposefully placed a hand on my cheek and pressed my face closer to the wall. He leaned in more, making the already cramped staircase feel suffocating. "Why are you attempting to do that, Mr. Sue?" he asked softly. A finger somehow found its way onto my lips. Erwin placed his lips against the crook of my neck, saying, "You signed a contract. You cannot look at me. You cannot look at my face."

I closed my eyes. "_Liech, help me," _I begged pitifully. Beneath my eyelids, I could feel tears forming. "_Please Liech, I can't face him on my own." _But she did not reply. Erwin's presence made it seem as though my connection with her was severed.

My senses buzzed. All around me, there were signs that screamed danger. Logically, I should be afraid. In actuality, I was. I wanted to curl up on the floor and cry. I wanted to wait for Dad to come out of nowhere and save me. That was what I wanted, but it was the very thought of Dad that kept me strong. He would not want me to be afraid. He told me to be strong and by God, that was what I was going to do.

I forced my eyes open. There were no tears, only the girl's green eyes shining determinedly. "What do you want?" I spat, trying to appear hard and cold.

My demeanor disturbed him- that much I could tell. My determination to remain strong seemed to set him back. But for whatever strike I could send him, he was going to return it. Erwin moved his both of his hands downward, enjoying the slight curves of Liechtenstein's body. He pulled me into his chest (one, that I noted, was hard but not built) and stopped his hands over my hip bones- the line between creepiness and perversion. "I want many things from you, Mr. Sue," he said, lips dancing along the edge of my ear. "I want to help you. I want to make certain that your dear Stella is going to be safe and sound when you return to her. But in order for me to do that, I need something in return." He took a deep breath, holding me even closer.

Was it just me, or did his hands drift a little downwards?

I didn't want to admit it, but I was intimidated. I felt as though this monster could do whatever he wanted to me or Stella or Sherry or Jerry and I could do nothing to stop him. I could cry and plead for him to show mercy, but he would only cause more harm. "I need Gilbert to drink that little vial I gave you," he said. "Tell me Mr. Sue, have you done that yet?"

I took a deep breath. But, despite it all, I could still beat him. I didn't know how or if I even could, but I knew that I had to try. For Stella. When I was sure that I could speak calmly, I replied, "I haven't, mostly since I haven't been able to find Gilbert yet."

He chuckled. "What do you mean? He's been in front of you this whole time."

"He may be in front of me, but I can't see him." The buzzing feeling on my skin faded away as I felt myself regain control of my situation. Yeah, he still had his arms around my numb body and I still could not hear from Liechtenstein, but I felt as though I had an even hand. I was an equal. If I could, I would have smirked as I said, "In a way, I should have expected that. After all, all of this is nothing more than a monkey's foot. I can make one wish, but you will turn it against me."

"You only have so much time left," Erwin quickly replied.

"Yeah and you claim that I can't look at your face, yet you let me see it at the hospital." I could feel it- his grasp on me was waning. I was winning and he knew it.

Erwin finally released me, taking a step back as he said, "You only have until the clock strikes midnight, Mr. Sue. And then, if Gilbert has not drank from the vial, then Stella will be lost for good."

I collapsed to the ground. I yelped, my butt nicking the edge of a stair. The feeling in my limbs returned to me so quickly that I felt sick. Still, I whipped around in a vain attempt to steal a second glance at his face.

I was alone.

There was no one retreating up or down the steps. Erwin was gone, vanished into thin air.

I pressed myself into the wall, taking long breaths. Fear choked my lungs. The thick air of the stairwell made it even harder to breathe. The hand over my chest told me that the thumping in my ears was my racing heart. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck. Resting my head against the wall, I closed my eyes, whispering, "Are you okay, Liechtenstein?" My head was silent. "Liechtenstein, are you there?" Silence. I balled my fists, desperately growling, "Liechtenstein, are you-"

"Don't worry, Lar, she's fine."

Shot my eyes open. In nothing more than just a breath, I gasped, "Alfred?"

Sure enough, the blond stood above me. The pain look on his face I saw earlier was still there, but his eyes had weaken. They were softer, more accepting of me. But his hands were still fists, the knuckles a dead white. "Erwin temporarily cut off your connection with Liech," he explained somberly, eyes staring off into space. Why wouldn't he look at me? "She'll be back in a few minutes."

I gulped. Without her, it seemed as though _The Oberon _was ten times quieter. It was like a phantom gliding along haunted waters. "Alfred . . ." I took another breath. Panic moment was over, Larry. Now you have to man up and start getting some well-deserved answers.

But before I could say anything more, Alfred started speaking again. "You know, Lar, it's alright to be afraid of him," he said monotonously. "Erwin and Bud can ruin our lives if they wanted to. The only reason they haven't is because we're of some use. The moment we out live that, they'll find a way to dispose of us." I looked down. He was right. I knew this all along, yet hearing such an optimistic man actually confirm it made a gash in my resolve. Maybe there were thing that I shouldn't know about.

A wry chuckle nearly escaped his lips. "You know Lar, you can cry if you want," he said. "You're the damsel and I have to protect you. It's my responsibility to watch over you. The only reason why Erwin attacked you just now was because I was not around to stop him in time. If I was here, then that would have never have happened-"

"Why do you treat me like I'm some weakling?" I snapped. In my head, I could feel Liechtenstein's presence slowly return like the image on a broken T.V. set. Still I pushed on, sneering, "I was able to take care of myself back there in case you didn't know. I was able to beat Erwin at his own game single-handedly. I don't need your help. I'm strong and I can take care of myself."

Alfred shook his head. "I don't get you," he softly replied. His eyes moved to his bare feet. Why couldn't he meet my eyes? "You have the opportunity to cry. You can cry, yet you . . ." His voice cracked. My eyes slowly went wide when I saw two drops of tears fall to the ground like slow rain. "C-can't you be grateful for what you got?" he demanded, whipping his arm across his face. "You have a gift: use it."

I stood. "I want to help you, Alfred, but you have to let me in," I said. "Please tell me what happened. Why can't England-"

He sniffled. "Not here. Somewhere more private."

A small voice piped up in my head. _"I know just the place," _Liechtenstein hopefully offered.

I smirked, thinking, "_It's nice of you to come back and join me. Did you miss anything?"_

I could feel her shake her head. "_It's still my body," _she said. "_Just because I couldn't talk to you doesn't mean that I didn't see anything. But I know where you can take Alfred. Take him up the stairs and make a right."_

I did what I was told. I lead Alfred by the hand, dragging him with me down the path Liechtenstein directed. He mostly kept a hand over his face, rubbing away stressful tears and muttering about how lucky I was. I didn't know why he would think that- tears were not something to be worshipped.

At last, the girl had me stop at an isolated room. There was no one in the hallway lined by one ordinary door. "_The door only opens for members of England's ship," _she informed me, noticing the way I stared at the seemingly ordinary brass door knob. "_There's some spell on it that prevents Brown Coats from opening it."_

I suddenly knew where we were. Trying not to smile, I opened the door and pulled my mentor in, saying, "All right, Alfred. Here's a nice and quiet place for us to tal-"

"Liechtenstein!" The next thing I knew, I was wrapped in a large bear hug. My lungs were squashed like pudding as Prussia spun around in a circle, talking a mile a minute. "Are you alright? Did anyone those damn bastards doitus do anything to you? I swear to God, if any harm comes to my little Liech-"

"Let go of me!" I shrieked, trying to rip him away. Not that I was against his love for Liechtenstein or anything, but I was pretty much tired of letting guys hug me. It made me feel like I'm homosexual.

Prussia laughed, spinning me just a little bit faster. "I'm glad to see you too, Liech!" he said, tossing me up into the air. I yelped as I crashed into his arms, cradled safely to his chest bridal style. Scowling, I flattened my wild hair and sent him a glare. The smirk and subtle affection in his eyes did not falter. "Well, at least that's considering that you're pretending to be mad because you're embarrassed I'm holding you because you love me."

I wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to snap at him for being such a freaking dumbass, but it was that look at stopped me. I could see that deep down- far below his cocky attitude -was a worried man. He hadn't forgotten about what happened with Alfred- he was just choosing to push past it. I sighed, "I think Liechtenstein loves you very much."

He stiffened. A second later, the albino let me tumble out of his arms. I landed on my feet, huffing as I fixed my shirt and slacks. Prussia was looking down at me with stunned fear. Alfred was still clenching his fists and staring at the ground. I had the sense to keep my mouth shut. All three of us were silent. We could hear the Red Coats walk around the deck above us, laughing and busy at work. They weren't much different from Russia's crew in that sense. Both sides knew how to have fun.

"So you're not my Liech," Prussia said, speaking softly. His eyes scanned the length of my body, searching for some sign that I was not her. By the rejected look in his eyes, it was safe to say that he could find none. "If you're not her, then who are you?" I dropped my shoulders. "Are you that Larry guy?"

Alfred shot us a glare, silently demanding that I kept it a secret. At that point, I didn't know how to. He was already starting to figure it out. Even if I reframed from spilling the big secret, he would figure it out eventually. Liechtenstein herself was quiet and did not offer any kind of excuses. I took it as a sign to go ahead and tell him. After all, Prussia wasn't stupid. "Yes," I said at last. "My name is Larry Sue. I am possessing Liechtenstein's body."

Prussia took a small step back, as if expecting me to spontaneously combust into flames. "Why?" He demanded, quick and defensive.

I winced. I couldn't tell whether that hurt Liechtenstein, me, or both. "I have to save someone," I explained. I patted the air with my hands, motioning for him to calm down. He only took another step back, raising his hands in defense. "I'm not doing this to be evil," I added quickly. "I have a girl back home: Stella. Her life's in danger and this is the only way for me to save her. Please believe me."

Prussia blinked. He must have seen the desperate- hopeless -look in my eyes. Perhaps it reminded him of himself. "Your girl?" He repeated, slowly dropping his hands. I watched with anticipation as he took a second to think it over. "Where exactly are you from?" he asked. "Why do you need her body?"

"I'm from-"

"There is more than one world." I paused as Alfred walked in front of me, practically brushing me aside. His back was straight and his chin raised high. An air of dignity lingered around him as he stopped barely a foot away from Prussia, saying, "The world that we're in now was created by one man, Himaruya Hidekaz. He is from Larry's world, a much simpler place than this. Himaruya and his cronies will sometimes interfere with the happenings of both worlds, making complex contracts that more often than not backfire. Me, Larry, Liechtenstein- all three of us have a contract with him. Larry did it to save his girlfriend and Liechtenstein did it to save you."

Prussia's mouth dropped as his eyes grew wide. "What?"

This time, I took a step forward. "Himaruya sent one of his cronies to threaten her, telling her that if she did not make a contract with them, they would do something bad to you."

He looked as though someone had socked him in the stomach. Dazed, he stumbled away from Alfred and back into the wall. He leaned against it, supporting his weak body as he asked, "Why would she-"

I groaned. "She's madly in love with you, doitsu-" I clapped a hand over my mouth as my cheeked burned a deep red. Oh frack, did I really just use _that _word? "_These jerkish dumb butts are getting to my head," _I thought, wanting to bang it against something hard, preferably a wall, but there was no time for that. Right now I had to deal with Prussia, not my loss of my sanity.

Prussia's gaze darted around the room, as if the explanation behind this madness was somewhere within reach. He locked eyes with me, opening and closing his mouth like a dumb fish. "Liech loves . . . why should I believe you?" He demanded, voice strict and venomous. "All of this is just sounds like bullshit! Why the hell would-"

Suddenly, in a quick and graceful motion, Alfred was right in front of Prussia again, his hands over his temples. "Turn around, Lar," the blond ordered, voice hard and cold. "I don't want you to see this." I bit my lip. Something really didn't feel right about this. What could Alfred possibly do to make him believe. "Now, Lar." I sighed and did what I was told.

Folding my arms over my chest, I tuned my ears to what the men were doing behind me. I could hear Prussia harshly demand to know what Alfred was going to do before suddenly going quiet. My back itched. A few times, I nearly stole a peek, but something held me back. If there was going to be one thing I can do to keep my sanity, it was going to be listening to Alfred. Obviously, he's not as stupid as I originally thought he was.

"_Well this is going better than I thought it would." _

I blinked and looked upward. "_I'm a little surprised too," _I thought. My connection to Liechtenstein was starting to feel weak, like it was going to go out at any given moment. I looked at my feet and sighed. "_Do you think he's just faking it?" _

I could imagine her shrugging. "_I'm not sure, but it's likely that he's not." _I heard her yawn. "_Prussia's not the guy to lie about these kinds of things."_

I smiled. "_You better marry this guy someday or else I'm going to be pissed," _I threatened. She gave a small noise of agreement. "_All of this talking must be draining your energy," _I told her. "_Go rest before you hurt yourself, Liechtenstein."_

She laughed. "_Thank you, Larry."_

"Holy shit!" I jumped as Prussia yelped, complaining loudly as he apparently rubbed his head. "Okay, Alfred, that was _so _not awesome! Just-" He yelped again. I really badly wanted to turn around and see what my mentor was doing to him, but my stupid honor held me back. I didn't think that I wanted to see it anyways. "Okay, I get it now! This whole universe is just part of something called _Axis Powers Hetalia! _Geez, you don't need to be so harsh about it!"

I heard Alfred laugh that boisterous, heroic laugh of his. "No, it was so necessary, dude! Oh, and you can turn around now, Larry!"

I chuckled, turned, and saw Prussia sitting on the ground with crossed legs as Alfred stood above him, laughing like his old self. The albino, however, looked pensive. His elbow was propped on his knee and his hand rubbed his smooth chin. I sat down in front of him, trying to look sociable as I asked, "So you believe me now?"

Prussia somberly nodded. "Sure do- Larry was it?" I nodded. He cracked a cocky grin, finally releasing his chin. There was obviously other things bugging him about this, but that was, for now, not a priority for him. "Though there is still a few things bugging me," he said. "Like first off, what does your contract with- Erwin, right? -mean exactly?"

It looked as though he was going to be an ally now. Prussia was going to be the other person who can help us with the whole Gilbert problem. I was all for telling him right there and then every miniscule detail of my adventure so far, but Alfred was quick to beat me to it. "Nothing important, really," he said, plopping himself right next to me. "I mean, even if Lar fails, Liechtenstein will be fine."

"She wants me to win though," I gently added. The blond gave me an odd look, whereas the white haired one looked so hopeful. Both of their eyes yearned to know why I said that. I could do nothing more than give a slight shrug, saying. "Liechtenstein told me so herself."

"You can speak to her?" Prussia grabbed my shoulders and started to shake me back and forth. "Can you heard me, Liechtenstein? I just want you to know that I am going to do whatever it takes to help Larry and Alfred and bring you back home, okay?"

"Get off- you're going to hurt him!" Alfred's inhuman strength allowed him to easily pull him away. His seriousness was back as he scowled at Prussia, saying, "If you're going to help us, Prussia, then you're going to have to be more serious. Larry's girlfriend is on the line- my soul is on the line!"

"Your soul?" He raised a thin eyebrow, giving me a confused look. "What does he mean by that?" he asked.

I gave Alfred a glare of my own. "I don't know," I said. "But Mr. Jones here is going to tell us right now." He opened his mouth, ready to object, but I quickly cut him off. "It is vital that we deal with our contracts or else Erwin will come like he did today. Obviously, this soul thing has everything to do with Erwin and Bud, so it has everything to do with me." My tone switched to a plead. "Please Alfred, we're partners. You can tell me anything."

Alfred looked down at the ground, picking at the frayed ends of his brown pants. Another hand was toying with his red, white, and blue belt. Prussia and I were silent as he thought to himself, considering the pros and cons. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "My name is not Alfred F. Jones," he said. "I made it up. My real name is America. I'm a ghost."

Prussia inched forward. "But the little boy-"

"I am him as much as he is me. Before THE WAR began, England and I were having a little bit of . . . brotherly problems. He would always leave for months at a time and I would be alone. Even though I'm only eleven in country years, I know how to take care of myself. I mean- I have super strength and everything. But England was getting worried. He kept on treating me like I couldn't even tie my own shoes."

"One day, we got into a really bad argument and I stormed away." Alfred stressfully placed hands on the sides of his head, as if to keep his head from crumbling to dust. "I was alone and mad and for one moment- one fucking moment -I wished that I could just show England that I was more capable than he believed. That was when it happened. I must have fell asleep since I was waking up to find myself in a pure white room. Bud and Erwin were there and they offered me a contract: if they helped me show England that I could be an adult, I would owe them a favor. And I accepted it, just like that."

"When I woke up again, I was back in Massachusetts, but in an adult's body. I stole some new clothes and went off to make up with England, but . . ." He trailed off. Not knowing what to say, I simply placed my hand on his knee. Apparently, my strength went to him since he found the will to say the next part as softly as he could. " . . . he couldn't see me. I was right there and my big brother couldn't even look at me. I tried to touch him, but my hand just went right through. Everyone associated with him- every loyal crew member -can't either. But the worst part was-" He sniffled and wiped away the first of a waterfall of silent tears. "-there was kid me, acting like I always did, loving him like I always do. He cherished him so much, yet he doesn't realize that I'm right there and . . ."

He stopped himself, realizing for the first time that his voice was becoming louder and louder with each crime. He looked up and, with red shot eyes, looked between Prussia and I. He really did have the face of a child. For the first time, I saw him as an eleven year old boy, lost and scared yet forcing himself to be strong.

He reminded me of myself.

Prussia leaned forward, completely engrossed in the story as he asked, "Then what happened?"

Alfred gnawed on his lip, trying to find the words to express it. "Then . . . then Erwin and Bud called me out on my contract. I went back to the Room and they told me what they wanted from me- I was to help Lar complete his contract. If so, then I will be free and back to my normal self. If not, then they will own my soul forever."

I shook my head. "But how-"

"It's in the contract," he explained. "It states that if I couldn't pay back my fee in the time given, then they will own me for good." He blinked rapidly, a stream of tears leaking down his cheeks. "Larry, they can bring me back to that room every time I sleep. They're in my dreams. Larry, I'm-" A thick sob escaped his mouth. "I'm scared."

At first, I really wasn't sure what I should do. For a second, I just sat there awkwardly as he buried his face in his hands, sobbing pitifully. Then I imagined what I would want Stella to do if I was the one weeping. I reached over and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing his face into the nape of my neck. "It's okay to be scared," I hushed, stroking his hair. "I'm here for you and I promise that I will save your soul."

He sniffled. "Are you sure?"

I exhaled. Prussia was trying his best not to give me an envious look, but he was failing miserably. I ignored him and focused my attention on my mentor. "When I make a promise, I never break it," I said. That was true. Dad told me when I was little to be strong and I have never been broken that. He told me to look out for Jerry and I did. He told me to protect Sherry and I. . .

I shook my head. No, I still won. After all, how can I protect a girl when she insists that the problem is merely a dream?

Alfred pulled away from me, looking far more peaceful than before. A small smile graced his face as he sniffled away the last of his tears. "Thank you, Lar. You know, you can be a hero when you want to be."

I grinned. "Well-"

"Oh Prussia!" The door swung open as a blond man I recognize as Poland strutted in. He held a tray of what looked to be burnt rocks. He was grinning madly as he practically pranced in, singing, "I, like, brought you some food and junk-" His voice went dead. By the way his green eyes rested on me, I would say that he just realized that I was in here. "Liech-y, what are you, like, doing in here?" He demanded, placing a sassy hand on his hip.

His eyes went through Alfred.

"I was just leaving actually," I said, rising to my feet. I pulled Alfred, who had returned to his depressed state, up with me. I turned and gave Prussia an enthusiastic grin. "Thank you so much for telling me all of that," I said, praying that he catches on quickly. "I'll be sure to remember to do that."

Luckily, he blinked a few times before returning my visage. "Yeah, I'm just a bit worried about Spain," he said, placing his hand behind his head as he leaned back into the wall. "I haven't heard from him in forever. So not awesome."

Poland gave us a confused look. "Spain?"

I didn't wait around to find out what he would do next, Calling out one last goodbye, I slipped past the blond and dragged Alfred with me into the hallway. "This way," my mentor ordered, turning the tables and guiding me down the hall.

I looked between the hand that held my wrist and his broad back. "Where are we going?" I asked.

He looked back at me, giving me a sure look. "Well, Prussia said to check for Spain, didn't he?" I nodded, only pretending to know why he was important. It wasn't until Alfred had taken me down a flight of stairs and through countless hallways did I remember. When I first came to _The Romanov, _Russia said that no one knew where Spain was. Everyone presumed that he was captured.

But I had others thing to worry about. Frankly, there was one thing on my mind since Erwin talked to me. Looking down at my feet, I quickly blurted, "Alfred, can I ask you a question?"

He didn't even stop. The blond didn't even turn around and face me. He did not grace me with the comfort of his smile. He sounded completely distracted as he nodded. "Sure, Lar."

His indifference was a bit discouraging (come on! He's been trying for _how long _to get me to go to him about important things and now he decides to ignore me?), but I forced myself to push forward. "Alfred, when Erwin was talking to me, he mentioned that I only had until the clock struck midnight to give Gilbert the vial . . . Do you know what he meant by that?"

His steps slowed a bit. He looked down at the ground, his grip on my wrist loosening ever so slightly. "Yeah, I do know what it means," he replied quietly. I looked around, checking to make sure that there was no one nearby to overhear us, but _The Oberon _was so large that it would be like finding a needle of life in the haystack of the ship's vastness. "Don't worry about it too much, it's just . . . I have a watch. Erwin and Bud told me that when a certain hand on the watch hits midnight, then my time will be up."

A watch? I had never heard of that before. "Can I see it?" I asked.

Alfred fiercely shook his head. "No, I would rather keep it to myself." I didn't ask more about it- the quickness of his voice was enough of a sign to shut up about it. Without any other conversation, we pushed on with our quest to find Spain.

By the look on Alfred's face when we entered the prison, it was safe to say that we were going to fail it.

This prison room looked eerily similar to Russia's, except the cells were smaller and more numerous. Heck, even the bloody stench of rats and poop was still lingering in the air. To England's credit, his prison cells were not empty. Three of them were occupied with a man, each ranging from his early teens to adulthood.

I first recognized Turkey. He looked pretty good; his injuries were healing up quickly. His hands, however, were going through the bars, holding the hands of the teen next to him. This one looked to be around my age. His hair was unnaturally silver and his face was both bored and worried. He and Turkey talked hush and quick, yet still with familiarity. The last one was in the cell closest to me. He was the youngest, maybe thirteen, with dark brown hair. He laid on the ground, curled up in a ball as he coughed hoarsely.

It was then when Turkey and the teen turned to look at him did they see me.

Turkey immediately smiled and waved at me, calling, "Hey Leich! What are you- whoa! Since when was Alfred here?"

Wait, he can see him? I looked up at him, expecting him to be as amazed as I was, but his seemed pretty nonchalant about it. I shouldn't be surprised- it's only England's followers that can't really see him. Alfred grinned and placed a thumb on his chest. "Dude, I'm the hero, of course I'll be here!"

"Well do you think that there's a way for 'the hero' to get us out of here?" The teenager asked. I squinted at him. Was he Spain? Do they even have such pale people there in the first place? "Romano's very sick- cholera I think -and England's being an ass and not giving him any medical treatment."

My mouth dropped. "Cholera?" I repeated, rushing over to Romano's cell. I crouched at the bars, extending a hand to him. He was barely close enough for me to touch his shoe. I thought he didn't look very good. "That's- we have to get him help."

He shrugged, playing with the brown band on his blue sleeve. "I would like to, Liechtenstein, but England's got us locked in here." He huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "He claims that if he did anything like that, he would be helping the enemy and betraying his crew."

"But this is nothing more than just a game!" I screamed and frustratedly banged my forehead against the bars. I winced, pressing my lips as to not cry out in pain. Holy frack- that hurt. "He shouldn't be putting people's lives at risk," I growled, rubbing the developing bruise on my forehead. "That stupid-"

"Turkey." Alfred stood in front of said man's cell, hands buried in his pockets. The lamps that lit the prison caused a gleam to shine off of his glasses. "Have you seen Spain anywhere?"

Turkey sadly shook his head. "Not yet." He turned to his teenage companion. "What about you, Kid?" he asked. "You've been here longer than me. Did you hear anything about him?"

"I didn't even know that he was missing, Pops," the teen, Kid, said, His face was drawn in mild frustration, but something prevented him from looking anything more than just a little peeved. "Seriously, you have to tell me these things."

As Turkey loudly objected to these claims (something about being a good friend), Alfred pensively placed a hand on his chin. His blue eyes were hard from concentration as he muttered, "So Spain's not here. Where else could he be? Maybe- Iceland, are you sure you haven't heard _anyone _mention him? Not even Romano?"

Something scratched at my side. "What the. . ." I turned around, expecting Alfred to be trying some new, ridiculous method for getting me to concentrate. But instead, I found a familiar set of bright green eyes, along with a lovely white with brown spot coat of fur. "Sokka?" I asked, picking up the little beast as he meowed happily. "What are you doing here?"

The door to the prison swung open and in came France, flanked by Holy Rome and Belgium. He marched over to us, muttering worriedly as he fumbled with a ring of ancient looking keys. Iceland furrowed his eyebrows. "What's going on?" he asked, pushing his face through the bars. His cool expression melted into disappointment when he marched straight up to Turkey's door. A victorious air gleamed in Turkey's eyes. Alfred had enough sense to pull me back before anything stupid happened.

"Something has changed," France said, unlocking the cell. Before Turkey could lunge and attack, Belgium and Holy Rome grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet.

Turkey sent them glares, trying to rip his arms free. "Let go of me," he snarled, flashing his teeth like a dog. "I can handle myself."

France offered a weak smile. "It's more to protect me than you," he confessed, speaking in a voice so soft and kind. "But have no worries, my friend. We're just going to take you above deck. Nothing more."

He rolled his eyes and huffed, "Yeah, like _I'll _believe _that."_

France only shook his head, muttering grudging, but affectionate words. "And they say you're the old man of Europe," he said. He turned around and came face to face with me. His blue eyes went wide with surprise, but he was quick to recover, saying, "My, Liechtenstein. I did not know that you were down here."

I looked at Turkey. Sure, he seemed pretty uninterested in me, but one wrong word and he and Iceland might start to realize that Alfred is a ghost. I did my best to shrug, sounding monotone as I said, "Eh, I was bored."

He laughed and placed warm hand on my head. "You are very funny, Liechtenstein," he said brightly. "It's good to finally have you here and back in good health."

Holy Rome coughed into his shoulder. "Um France, England is. . ."

France bobbed his head eagerly. "Of course, of course. Turkey, say goodbye to Iceland and Romano."

From his cell, Iceland gave a bored sound and nodded to the Turk. "Bye, Pops," he said, giving a small wave. "I'll see you later."

"I might die, Iceland!" Turkey exclaimed, cranking his head to look at the teen as the blonds dragged him away. "Is that really the best you can do? Can't you at least try to be a little bit more emotional about it?"

Iceland rolled his eyes. "Stop being a drama queen."

"Empire!" At last, Holy Rome and Belgium pulled him through the doorway. Alfred and I exchanged a look as his fading cries echoed down the hallway, something about him being the great Ottoman Empire. It was moments like these that make me realize how weird everyone here is.

"You might want to go check out what's going on up there." I hummed questionly as Iceland turned his attention back to Romano, placing his hand back on the other's shoe. His oddly colored eyes never left the Italian as he explained, "France fumbled with the keys earlier, indicating that he was nervous. His excessive kindness also suggests that it's something to either be eager or guilty about. I know for a fact that something's on his mind since he did not question you further on your presence down here or why Alfred is here."

Said American nodded, engulfing my wrist in his hand. "We'll check it out right now," he declared, already dragging me away. "No worries- the hero will be back to tell you what's going on." He started to drag me out of the hall.

"Oh, and Liechtenstein?" We paused, long enough to see Iceland sticking as much of his face as humanely possible out of the cell. "That cat of yours is adorable," he muttered. His eyes were focused on the ground and his cheeks were dusted a light pink. "What's his name?"

"Sok-"

Alfred tightened his grip. "Keep your bestiality away from our pet," he sneered before dragging me out. Bestiality? I shivered. Great, another freaking oddity to add to the list! Iceland even seemed like a nice person too, but no. He was fucking goats and cats. At least he gave us that tidbit on France. I may not have known France for very long, but Iceland gave a pretty good argument about his body language.

It was much faster this time around to find our way through the halls. The stairway leading to the deck was empty and lit by moonlight. Sometime during my adventure down here, the sun had finished setting and the stars started to shine. I looked up and picked out a few key constellations: the big and little dipper, Orion's belt, and Orion himself.

The deck was lighted by a few torches, held up in the air by few of the many spectators. They all gathered around England in a semi-circle. The captain in red stood at the rails, looking between Turkey as he was pushed to the front and the ocean below.

My heart banged in my chest. Was he going to throw Turkey over board? I cracked my knuckles, preparing for when England gives me the proper opportunity to attack. As much as I hate the Turk, there was no way I would let anything as horrible as that ever happen.

England nodded reassuringly to France before he roughly grabbed Turkey's arm. "Let go of me," the Turk demanded, jerking his shoulders away. He tried to land a punch with his free fist, but the Brit merely caught it in his hand.

His emerald eyes were like acid. He leaned in until their noses were touching and their lips barely apart. "Don't screw this up," he hissed. "I need this to work." He shoved Turkey away, watching coldly as he fell onto his butt. The man barely had a moment to breathe before England took a fist full of his hair and dragged him to his feet. Turkey's yells of pain was enough to make my blood curl.

"I have your man right here," England yelled, dragging him to the rail. He pushed the brunette's chest over the rail. I grabbed onto Alfred's vest, afraid that he really was going to be shoved over. England looked over the rail, glaring as he shouted, "He's in perfect health. Now let Seychelles go."

My ears perked. Seychelles? As in the girl in Russia's prison?

But then came a voice so deep and blunt that a wave of nostalgia washed over me. "I said that I want all of your prisoners back," the Netherlands shouted, sounding like a merchant at a street cloth shop. His curt tone was strangely comforting, such a black and white contrast to the mood I last saw him in.

Alfred nudged my shoulder. "Well that's good," he whispered into my ear. "That bastard is excellent at bargaining. He's so stingy that I bet that he could haggle England for all he owns if he wanted to."

England, meanwhile, curled his lip before forcing Turkey away. He tossed him like a doll back to Belgium, considering his options as he paced around the semicircle. "I want my daughter back," France piped hopelessly.

England nodded, stroking an invisible beard. "I know you do." He thought for a moment fore before sighing. "Go get Prussia," he ordered, snapping his fingers at Holy Rome. "If we do this, then at least we can get rid of the troublesome ones."

Everyone parted to give Holy Rome enough space to go back below deck. I took as an opportunity to get myself to the front. Ignoring Alfred's cries to stay foot, I dashed down the aisle, past the blond, and to the front. "Wait-"

England held up an annoyed finger. "Be quiet, Liechtenstein," he harshly snapped. Those acid eyes were drawn in a side glare, aimed straight at me. "This doesn't concern you." I was going to object, argue that since I was a Brown Coat prisoner I was completely involved in this, but Turkey gave me a look. He was silently telling me to hold my peace. For once, I took his advice and clamped my mouth shut.

"Here I am." The crew parted again, allowing Holy Rome to guide a bound Prussia to the front. The albino gave me a knowing look as he passed by me, loudly proclaiming, "The awesome me has arrived to the party. What's going on?"

The Brit ignored him and merely motioned for Holy Rome to make Prussia kneel by Turkey. He approached the rail again, saying, "Alright, Netherlands; here is my bargain: in exchange for Seychelles, I will give you back Prussia and Turkey. I will also make no attempt to follow you back to your ship. Deal?"

"What about the others?" My heart skipped a beat. Belarus was here? What would she be doing with the Netherlands? Why would she be concerned about a bunch of prisoners?

The captain gave a light shrug, chuckling lightly as he called, "Depends. Are you willing to give us back Denmark?"

Her silence made it obvious that they didn't bring him to this exchange. For a moment, the only sign that either of them were still there was their hush arguing. Belarus wanted to see if they could bargain a bit more. The Netherlands was trying to convince her that this was going to be the best deal they would get. "_So much for being a master," _I thought. It was almost as if his very life depended on Denmark remaining a prisoner of the Brown Coats. All of England's men were looking out to the black ocean, as if it might let them hear their words any better. It distracted Turkey enough that Alfred felt as though it was safe to literally walk through the crowd and to my side. He placed a hand on my shoulder, but said nothing.

At last, the argument ended and the Netherlands spoke. "It's a deal. Toss them over and throw down a rope."

Prussia and Turkey had a mere moment to exchange worried glances before Holy Rome and Belgium forced them to their feet. The cat in my arms whimpered as they dragged my friends to the rails and pushed them over. France and England tossed the end of a strong rope over the side just as their splashes echoed through the air.

"Holy shit! It's fucking freezing!" Prussia cried, easily covering the sound of their Ducth and Belarussian savers as they presumingly dragged him out of the water.

Turkey scolfed. It sounded as though he was swimming as he replied, "Well get a navy yourself and you'll be used to it."

It suddenly struck me what all of this meant. "I'm alone here," I muttered, realizing the weight of it as I said it. I looked out to the ocean. "Prussia's, he's . . ." I knew what I was going to do. "Hold him," I ordered, roughly shoving Sokka into Alfred's arms.

Alfred looked down at it, afraid that someone might think that the cat was floating. "What are you doing?" He ordered, helplessly watching me march onto England's stage. He and France were so busy pulling up Seychelles that they did not notice me until I climbed onto the rails.

"Liechtenstein!" England nearly let the rope slide right through his fingers. He looked up at me, his eyes a clear mixture of confusion and shock. They didn't look sure whether or not they should be wide from worry or narrow from betrayal. He said, "It's dangerous there, lass. Get down!"

Somehow, I was able to find my balance on the rail. I felt at peace- my back to the ocean, the breeze the only thing against me. I could feel all of Liechtenstein's bottled up resentment to this crew, her desire to escape from such an unhappy place. I closed my eyes. "_This is for you, Liechtenstein."_

"Gentlemen, ladies: I have a few words that must be said," I announced evenly. Everyone hushed up, including the Brown Coats below me. "To put it simply, I hate all of your faces. With Russia and his crew, I am happy. So I am proud to say-" I ripped off the red band around my arm and smirked. The crew looked surprise, as if unaware that their precious little Liechtenstein could be so rebellious. The breeze gently carried the cloth out of my hand, casting it out into the ocean, "-I am no longer part of this crew. I am a Brown Coat now."

My plan was to give them a soldier's salute, check to see where I would fall, and then jump. But the moment I raised my hand to my forehead, Alfred leaped from his place in the crowd. With Sokka still in his arms, he pushed me off the side of the boat and jumped right after me. I screamed and closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.

"Got ya!" With a loud _thump!, _I painfully landed into a pair of strong arms. The stench of smoke assaulted my nose. I opened my eyes to see that the Netherlands had caught me. His face was illuminated by the embers in the cigarette that rested between his thin lips. He gave me a rare smile, saying, "Didn't think that you'll do that."

"Neither did I." I turned my head and nearly laughed. Someone had caught him bridal style as well. This someone just happened to be a very unhappy blond woman.

Belarus rolled her eyes and dropped him on the deck on her boat. "Stupid doitsu," she muttered. "What were you doing there?" He grinned and shrugged. Sokka pranced out of his arms and curled itself around the Netherland's leg. Belarus shook her head, saying, "And you, You- what made you think that we would even want you to be a part of our crew?"

I looked at her hopefully. For some reason, the woman's small, but strong frame was engulfed in her brother's brown coat. It gathered at her feet like the regal cloak of a monarch. "Maybe because I'm cute," I said, batting my eyes like a girl.

She immediately looked down at her hands where she held a small knife. I clung a little tighter to the Dutchman. "Fine," she growled, marching away. "Put her down, Netherlands, and help me get this ship out. That bastard England isn't going to be happy about this."

He reluctantly did as he was told, slowly releasing me before inching his way to her. For the first time, I looked at the ship. It was small, a few yards long with no below deck or cannons. A single mast shot out of the center, supporting an old sail. The Netherlands positioned himself at the back of the boat, holding onto a lever that would guide the boat. Belarus, meanwhile, tied down the sails before positioning herself at the bow.

Then she moved her arms in a slow dance, like an airbender. Breathing slowly, she warped the chilled breeze around her, transforming it into a bitter wind that moved the sail. I stood there in awe. That was the power of Russia coat- General Winter and his season.

We sped away from _The Oberon, _leaving all of the bad things behind. From a distance, I could see that Belarus had froze the ice around the boat, sealing it in place. England seemed to have realized it the moment I did. He jumped off the side of his ship and onto the ice, moving his lips in a silent chant. Then, to my horror, a green light spewed from his fingers.

"Get down!" Turkey pushed the Netherlands to the side, taking the blow for himself. We all gasped when he fell over, a hand over his neck.

"Holy shit, what the hell was that?" Alfred asked, running to his side. He gently helped him sit up, pressing his lips when Turkey held his hand in place. "Are you hurt there?"

The brunette shook his head. "I don't think so, it just-" He lightly tugged on it, invoking himself to wince and cross his legs. "Oh fuck, leave it to England to fucking curse me."

I knitted my brows in confusion. "Curse you? How-" It hit me: his legs were crossed because he was vainly trying to hide a boner. England cursed him with an erogenous zone. I could not help but to laugh as I left him to his own masturbation.

"Psst, Larry." I turned. Prussia sat against the side of the boat, wrapped in a towel as he looked up at me. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. He eagerly patted the spot next to him, saying. "Sit next to me."

I scowled, but did as I was told. "Be careful calling me that," I hissed sharply. "No one is supposed to know."

He grinned. "But I know." I didn't bother to reply. We sat in silence, watching everyone either relax or do their work. While Belarus used the power of the coat, Netherland steered in heavy silence. Sokka laid by his feet, its chest rising up and down in peaceful sleep. Alfred napped while a wet Turkey smoked one of the Ducthman's cigarettes (some way to fight off the hormones, I guess) as he looked out into the ocean. Prussia lifted his arm and slinked it around my shoulders. I tensed up, He quickly shot it back to his side.

Looking down at the wood floor, he seemed to remember that I was not Liechtenstein. I was Larry Sue, a human. I nudged him. "Are you alright?" I whispered.

He turned to me and forced a signature grin. "When is the awesome me not?" he asked unconvincingly. When I didn't return the visage, he frowned and looked up at the stars. He pressed his legs to his chest and hugged his knees, fending off the cold. "Hey, Lar."

"Prussia. . ." I warned again.

It went right over him. "That's the thing. You- well, Liech- are Larry. America is Alfred. And I'm just Prussia. I need a human name like you guys."

I leaned back and followed his gaze up at the stars. It was cold out here. "Okay, so do you have one in mind?"

He nodded, gaze never looking down at me. "I was thinking that it could be Gilbert. Gilbert Beilschmidt."

* * *

**MW: **At last, half way through the story and I finally get to the whole Gilbert thing. That took long enough!

**SEK: **But hey! There's only another seven chapters, so there's bound to be something exciting coming up, right?

**MW: **Sure thing. As for updates, I'm definitely going to post again before the 16th because for the last two week of June, I'm going to be away at a teen writing camp at Yale. I don't know if I'll have internet connection or time to even write my fanfictions. I also hope to get started my Tomato Gang story. I'm not sure what I'm doing with Within Ash and Snow. It's not popular enough to be dearly missed, so I might put it on a short hiatus until July. Not sure yet. I might decide sooner if people might actually read it *cough*cough*.

**SEK: **Anyways, we hope that you all enjoy and thank you for reading!

**Notes**

"I actually cut it so that it was a boy's length- like Prussia's, but Switzerland's forcing me to grow it back." No, I did not suddenly realize that cannonly, Liechtenstein should have long hair during this time period. No, I'm not just looking for a quick way to explain my screw up—what could possibly give you that idea?

"I'm only eleven in country years" Alfred means that he looks like he's eleven years old. He's a hundred something in human years.

**Next Chapter: **Now that Larry knows who Gilbert he, he must now decide whether he should give Gilbert the vial or not.

**Thank all y'all for reading and giving this story 100+ reviews! **


	9. Orion In the Sky with Diamonds

**MW: **What is this? We're actually updating when we said we would? Alleluia!

**SEK: **Yeah, I think this is the first time in forever we've actually updated in about a week.

**MW: **And thank you guys so much for all the lovely reviews. Especially you, **Megan**. I'll give Alfred a hug for you, okay? I have another story starting, guys! If you like the Tomato Gang, serial killers, or just want to see Cuba and America bicker with each other, check out my new story, _El Verdugo. _

I don't really see a reason for me to stall this chapter any longer so here we go!

**Chapter Summary: **Larry struggles with what to do with Gilbert as he and the rest of the nations rescued return to Russia's ship.

**Warnings: **Strong language, sexual themes, violence, heterophobia, yaoi, and yuri.

**Disclaimer: ** I own nothing but Larry because I licked him.

* * *

**~Chapter 9~**

**Orion In the Sky with Diamonds**

"_But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more."_

_-_**Hans Christian Andersen, Danish Author **

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 13**

We were farther out from _the Romanov _than what I had originally believed.

Our little boat had been traveling for hours without stop. The morning sun had already passed and sunset was upon us. Belarus kept a constant cool wind going to supply the sails, forcing me to stay in the sun to stay warm, but the sun was draining all of my energy. I was tired. Laying on my side, I delicately picked at Sokka's fur as I looked between the ocean and the sky. The two blues were so richly different that it took my breath away. In my delirious state, I could not help but to marvel at how soft the water looked.

The sea looked like velvet.

"A velvet sea," I muttered, rolling onto my back. I stared at the clouds and the birds that flew above. It must have been nice to be free to fly wherever you wanted. Free to escape the binds stupid contracts put you in . . .

"_Erwin was right, he was right in front of me this whole time," _I thought before banging my head against the deck. _"Prussia is Gilbert." _I could feel a dark hole bore its way into my stomach. It was bottomless. It felt as though it could never be filled. I rubbed the heel of my palm into my eyes. Prussia is Gilbert. I was not going to lie: I had no idea what to do. One part of me was relieved. I did not have to scourge the world for this guy. Another part of me, however, was filled with impending dread.

Erwin wanted me to take down Prussia. Prussia, Liechtenstein's boyfriend. How could I do that to her? She's already sacrificed so much for him. Who am I to go over and ruin the life they built for each other? "_And what does that stupid vial do anyways?" _I wondered. It was currently back on _the Romanov, _waiting in the pillow on my hammock. Still, I was not comforted. The black liquid inside sent shivers down my spine. It had to be poison; no doubt about that.

"_Are you going to tell Alfred this?" _Liechtenstein asked. She has also been very quiet- scarcely speaking above a whisper when she even bothered to say anything. I could feel her discomfort. She was anxious, sick to her stomach with the idea of losing her precious Gilbert.

I sighed, placing my head on the cool floor. "_I'm not so sure," _I told her honestly. "_It would be smart to end this as soon as possible, but we can't do this to Gilbert. Also, I want to know what Erwin and Bud want with this guy anyways."_

"_So you're not going to turn him in yet?"_

I shook my head. "_Not yet," _I thought. "_Alfred still has time on his clock. Like Erwin says, we have until it strikes midnight to figure things out. We have time to spare." _If we only knew when midnight was.I sighed and placed my hands under my head, looking up at the clouds. General Winter's wind was still chilling me to the bone. Poor Belarus- she has been bending the air nonstop for hours.

Liechtenstein was silent for a long moment. "_Thank you, Larry. I know what this means to you." _We both knew what she meant and it pained me. The longer I was here, the longer Stella was in trouble. More than anything, I wanted to go back to her and know that she was safe, but I couldn't just leave Liechtenstein and Gilbert like this.

I had to help them somehow.

I stretched a hand to the sky. Maybe, if I ran long and hard enough, I could reach the ends of this earth. Then this dream will end and I be back home with Stella and Jerry and Mom and Dad and Sherry. I blinked at the sky. Running . . .

I jolted back to sitting position. In my head, I could feel Liechtenstein shrink back just the slightest bit. "_Larry, what are you-"_

"_Shut it," _I ordered harshly, scrambling to my feet. "_I have inspiration. I don't want to lose it."_ I didn't have a pen or paper on me. I should wait until we returned to the ship, but my fingers were itching and the words were at my command.

"_To write?"_

"_Poetry specifically, but yes." _I scanned the ship. Belarus was obviously way too busy for me to bug her. Turkey was huddled up in a corner, taking switching between looking out at the ocean and picking at his new curl. Alfred was perched on the rail, poised like a comic book hero as he gazed at the horizon. I could see the sun reflecting on his glasses. Neither of them looked like good candidates for a favor. Prussia was asleep, sprawled out on the sunny part of the deck, his white skin turning into a hot, rich red. That just left the Netherlands. He was still steering, looking bored as he puffed smoke from the cigarette between his lips. He offered a few times to replaced Belarus in air bending duty, but she had turned him down every time.

Sokka lazily yawned and stretched its fuzzy back before walking to him. The Netherlands didn't even smile when the cat sat on his lap, only place a hand on its back and delicately touched its fur. I took a deep breath and broke the ship's utter silence, asking, "Neder, do you have a pen and a piece of paper I can use?"

He raised a lazy eyebrow. He gave his cigarette a long drag, blowing a stream of white from his lips. "Why?"

I frowned. "Because I want to write," I said.

I fully intended on fighting this myself. I was going to get that paper and I was not going to stop until I did. But guess who had to open her mouth a defend me? "Netherlands," Belarus warned. Her platinum hair stuck to her face with sweat, making its vivid hue seem duller. "Do You a favor."

Something- I'm not sure what -came over me. Something about the way she treated me like a child pricked a nerve. Something about the way she refused to use my real name made my blood boil. Something about the kind look in her eyes made me clench my fists. Scowling, I shot her an evil glare as I snapped, "I don't need your help!"

Belarus didn't even blink. Her nonchalant face remained like a mask as she moved her arms in a fluid dance. It was like she didn't care- or worse, she was used to it. "I was only trying to help," she said, before engrossing herself completely back into her dance. If it was a way to make me feel guilty, then it worked marvelously.

The Netherlands sighed. He reached into his coat pocket, saying, "Calm down, princess. It's no big deal. I'm sure I have some somewhere." I watched as his long fingers slid into his pockets. He muttered something in Dutch under his breath as he pulled out a small and dull pencil. He handed it to me, saying, "Here you go. Now for some-" He pulled out a single piece of white paper. Without much thought, I reached over to take it from him. The tips of my fingers barely scraped the edge before he snatched it away. "I already used that one," he said quickly.

I blinked. For once his cool disposition was replaced by wide eyes and sweaty brows. His blond hair deflated a little, the ends sticking to the top of his forehead. He didn't bother to fix it until he silently shoved the paper back into his pocket and pulled out a new one. "Here, use this one," he said calmly. Calmly, but his chest was heaving.

My stare continued for a long moment. What the heck was that? What was on that other piece of paper that was so important? Why was he even carrying around sheets of paper anyways? Clearing my throat a little, I gave a small thanks and took it from him. I'll have to add that to my growing list of mysteries to solve: Larry Sue and the Mystery of Gilbert, Larry Sue and the Case of the Mysterious Piece of Paper, Larry Sue and the Agatha Affair, Larry Sue and His Life is Completely Fracked Up.

Spin off novel: Alfred F. Jones and the Case of the Ghostly Body.

I returned to a sunny part of the deck and laid on the floor. Sunset was just about starting and I only had so much light yet to write. Without much thought, I placed the pen on the paper and wrote the first line. _Across the velvet sea. . ._

"Hey there." I didn't look up- I knew well enough that Gilbert was the person looming over me, shielding the sun with his body. Hands folded neatly behind his back, he glanced around the boat, making double sure that no one was listening in on us. Belarus seemed to tense under his gaze, but she picked up a conversation with Alfred.

"_What an obvious cover-up," _I thought as I forced myself to continue with my writing.

Gilbert was not discouraged (not that I was trying to get him to go away or anything, I just wanted to write. Even Jerry knew that once my head was wrapped around an idea, there would be no way to stop me. Any chances to do otherwise would result in graphic bloodshed). He plopped himself on the ground in front of me, legs crisscross-applesauce. Sparking with attentiveness, he gave me a hopeful look as he asked, "What are you doing, Lar?"

I frowned. "Firstly, do not call me that in public," I said. "Secondly, I'm writing a poem. Lastly, what rhymes with 'faces?'"

He scratched his cheek. "Erm . . . places, chases, safest, mazes- why is this important?"

"Rhyme scheme, my dear Prussia."

He sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "Lar, I thought we agreed that my awesome new name is Gilbert," he said, groaning just the slightest bit. I mindlessly hummed in reply. 'Safest' was a nice word to use. He rolled his head on his neck. "And it sure as hell can't be a nickname unless you actually use it."

Gently, I placed the pencil on the paper. He had a point. If this was going to be the new name for him, I would have to use it. Heck, I _wanted _to use it! Any chance of using a real, human name was a good chance. The one problem was Alfred. If he heard it, then he would want me to go through with the contract right away. I drummed my fingers on the wood, taking a deep breath. I had to come up with a lie. When one came to me, I could not help but to grin wolfishly. I quickly switched to an innocent smile and batted my lashes, saying, "Well Prussia, Liechtenstein told me that she would love it if Gilbert was a secret pet name she got to use with you. You know-" I lowered my voice to a whisper. "-like lovers."

One of the last things I would expect to see in my lifetime is a squealing albino. Placing his hands on his cheeks, he released a small sound of excitement as he kicked his legs. "That is so cute of her!" He exclaimed, not caring who heard. "Liechtenstein, you have to stop being so awesomely cute!"

I turned red. "Keep your voice down!" I snapped, breaking my own rule. I could feel my embarrassment grow as I heard Turkey break into incessant laughter and rolled on the floor with a clenched side. I buried my face in my hands. Oh Liechtenstein- you better appreciate all of the crap I put up with for you.

Gilbert, meanwhile, gave the Turk a small huff. "Just wait; you're going to do the same thing when you see your precious human again." Turkey stopped laughing. With a frown, he wordlessly rose to his feet, gave him double middle fingers, and walked to another lonely corner of the boat.

I only felt the impending cloud above me grow heavier. Turkey and Agatha were quickly becoming a thing, Agatha was my sister, I was in Liechtenstein body, and Liechtenstein and Prussia are pretty much a couple now, but Liechtenstein has Denmark still trying to hook up with her and my hostile ways have (according to people like Hong Kong and the Netherlands) somehow attracted Belarus and Russia, who are in a incestuous relationship with each other.

Whoop-de-fracking-doo- how the heck did all of that happen?

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 14**

It took us another day to reach _the Romanov. _By the time sunset was over, Belarus had to stop her bending and gave herself a break. Alfred and the Netherlands tried to get her to let them use Russia's coat to keep the boat going, but she shook her head. "This is my brother's and I am not going to risk it," she said, which was basically a nice way of telling them to piss off. We took turns with watch that night, on the lookout for England and the rest of the Red Coats, and started out again as soon as the sun was up.

Once again, I passed my time sleeping and writing. It was a good combination; both gave me time to think. I racked my brain for a reason why Gilbert was special- how any of this was going to add up, but I came up with nothing. Freaking goose eggs.

Fourteen days into my adventures in a girl's body and we finally saw our ship on the horizon. Turkey, Gilbert, Alfred, and I rushed to the side of the boat, laughing and grinning in victory. Alfred ruffled my hair before engulfing Turkey, who was holding my cat, in a bear hug. That gave Gilbert a good moment to bend down and wrap his arms around me. I think a part of us had believed that we wouldn't return so soon.

The only problem was that the Netherlands and Belarus both had drawn faces.

"C'mon guys! Don't look so down!" Alfred yelled, strutting up to the scowling woman. He laughed obnoxiously as he patted (more like slapped) her back. "We're home and that's all that matters!"

Belarus growled and shoved him away. With every ounce of her hate, she sneered, "Don't jump to conclusions! Russia is going to be pissed at us."

Gilbert and I exchanged a glance. "Wait, did you do something to anger him?" I asked, letting my arms slip away from Gilbert's shoulders. He sighed, but said nothing. I resisted the urge to bang my forehead against the mast. For the love of God, Gilbert, please don't treat this like a tragedy! You know I'm not your girlfriend!

A nervous chuckle escaped the Netherlands. A second later, his visage shone with sudden despair. Sighing, he pulled out a cigarette and his box of matches. "Well, Belarus and I didn't necessarily leave with his blessing," he said, striking the match on the ground. The red tip lit up and he quickly lit his little lung-killing device. The blond closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his muscles visually relaxing. "See here, we kind of fed him some sleeping medicine and stole the coat while he was out."

All four of us could not help but to groan. "Dumbasses, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Turkey demanded, smacking his hand on his forehead.

"There's nothing that can be done about it," Belarus snapped. Her locks of hair seemed to stick up with irritation, a fitting compliment to her reddening face. "The fact is that Netherlands and I did what we did and we'll have to face to consequences for it. What's done is done and that's the end of it."

I wasn't surprised when Alfred looked a little confused. "Wait- you guys left a note saying what you were doing, right?"

The Netherlands nodded. "Yeah. Taped it to his nose."

His blue eyes looked between the two blonds for a moment before he shrugged. "Well, he knows where you guys went so it shouldn't be that big of a deal."

Gilbert, for the first time ever, lost his cocky demeanor and sighed like a perfectly normal adult. "Alfred, have you ever angered an older brother before?" He asked, stretching his legs and placing his hands on his hips.

Alfred shot him a look. His eyes were narrow, silently reminding him of his past- that he is a ghost because of his older brother. Gilbert was not swayed. The Prussian continued to look at him with slight annoyance, crimson eyes demanding an answer. Slowly, my mentor relented and took a small step back. Closing his eyes, he pushed his glasses up his nose, saying, "No. I don't even have one."

Gilbert smirked. "I awesomely thought so."

I scowled. Where this sudden rivalry came from was a complete mystery to me. Something told me that it had something to do with being men, but (as I quickly reminded myself) I am a man too and I should, therefore, be able to figure out the cause. "_Or having boobs is making you lose touch with your masculinity," _a small, evil part of me whispered.

I kindly told it to shut up as I took a step between Gilbert and Alfred. "Knock it off, you two," I demanded, crossly. "Right now really isn't the time to do this."

Both of them looked at me, one with obvious annoyance and the other with obvious curiosity. Either way, they both silently called it a draw and took a step back. Gilbert shook his head, placing a hand on his sunburnt forehead. "Fine, whatever."

I released the smallest of grateful smiles. "Thank you," I said. He shrugged innocently. Alfred crossed his arms over his chest, huffed, and turned away. I clenched my fist. I was this close- _this close _to actually hurting him. He may literally have the mentality of an eleven year old, but he could try so much harder to not throw a petty, immature tantrum. Rolling my eyes, I changed the topic, turning to Belarus to ask, "So what can we expect-"

_Thud!_

"Meow!"

I jerked around to the guy who dropped my cat. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that Alfred's balls just dropped?" Turkey demanded, pointing a sharp finger at said man. "I mean- shit! I have never seen you so serious before in my life!"

Alfred buried his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Eh, I'm trying for a new style," he said, sounding like one of those naturally cool and mysterious heroes. "Do you like it? I call it 'Turkey except much less of a dick.'"

I gritted my teeth. "Well you sure are being one right now," I growled, ignoring Sokka as it pawed at my leg. Alfred ignored me.

Turkey's jaw dropped and hit the ground with a deafening gasp. "The hell! What did I ever do to you?" he demanded as he marched straight up to him. He roughly grabbed the ghost's vest and pulled him up to his face, sneering, "You jackass, you're just asking for it-"

"Enough fighting!" Turkey hinged his jaw, not looking away from Alfred as Belarus approached them. We were all quiet, making the clicking of her heels against the deck seem more loud and ominous than it really was. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave them a narrow glare. "You two are both part of the same team. You need to stick by each other, especially with what's going to happen next."

Gilbert shyly raised his hand. He asked, "What's next?"

Belarus sighed, dropping her irritation for resignation. "Next we let my brother kill me for being an idiot."

Turkey dropped Alfred.

Belarus tipped her head, releasing the smallest of victory smiles. "Thank you," she said, looking through the angry glint in Turkey's eyes. She turned on her heels, her coat and hair reaching out like a ballerina, and strutted back to her spot. "Netherlands, bring us closer to _The Romanov. _Let's see if we can get dear brother's attention."

Meanwhile, Gilbert and I exchanged a look. Did she really just say thank you? What was this world coming to?

Our little boat steadily sailed closer and closer to _the Romanov_. We all tried to find better things to do besides staring at the sails and dreading our return, but every palm on our boat was sweating and I swore I saw a few veins popping. Of course, Hong Kong was the first person to spot us. I could see him at the top of the crow's nest, waving his arms around, yelling for the whole crew's attention. Person after person rushed to the rail, pointing and calling out unclear words. As Alfred sulked and Gilbert paced, I took Sokka into my arms and stroked its white and brown fur. "This is going to suck," I whispered, nervously twirling the fur between my fingers.

"There are worse fates to be dealt." The Netherlands appeared at my side, leaning into the rail as he took a long drag of his cigarette. His hair was falling a bit, his blond bangs shielding a bit of his eyes. He said, "And, unfortunately, every single one is going to be worse than the last."

I pressed my lips. This was coming from the guy who now had to properly face his ex -boyfriend. Of course he's going to be depressed. Still, I could not help but to offer him a lighter smile. "That's why you have friends," I said, quoting some long forgotten fortune cookie. "That way, there'll always be someone to support you."

He shook his head, making the tobacco smoke squiggles in the air. I placed a fist on my chest, coughing away some of the poison. It was hard to believe that Dad used to smoke these- even if it was long before Sherry was even conceived. The Netherlands took the cigarette from his mouth and tapped away the burnt butt. "What if your friends are the ones making everything worse for you?" He asked.

I opened my mouth, ready to offer some comfort, but the words never came. My fingers could not write the words and my brain could not think of them. I remained silent, balancing the cat between my chest and the arms that leaned against the rail. Even when Belarus and him went off to anchor our boat just inches from the side of Russia's ship, I could barely feel the words that I wanted to make: get new friends.

"Belarus! Liechtenstein!" Out of all of the yelling from the deck, that one was from someone I actually wanted to see. A small smile stretching across my face, I looked up and saw Ukraine leaning over the side. She looked distressingly down at us, sniffling and holding a handkerchief on her hands. "Are you two okay?" She cried, her voice rising above the rest. "I was worried sick about you both."

I opened my mouth, a reply brimming on the tip of my tongue, when a slim arm slung itself around my shoulders. "Everyone's fine," Belarus said, her voice like stone. "What about Russia? Is he-"

"He's, like, standing aside with his pipe," Hong Kong shouted, lazily twirling his finger in the air. He pretended to not notice the Netherlands as he looked up hopefully at him for a split second. He didn't even blink when his ex-boyfriend's face fell in realization of how serious this separation was. I don't think I ever hated Hong Kong more than I did at that moment. "Seriously, Belarus, he's going to kill you."

"That's already been established." She placed her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot. "Now can someone throw us a ladder now or something?"

Ukraine grinned and laughed nervously. "Well, you see here: we sort of don't have a ladder right now-"

"What?"

"-But we're going to toss you guys a rope right now. Here!" I watched as her face brightened considerably as some of the men threw an old, fraying rope over the side. The tip of it barely touched the deck of our small boat. I frowned. It reminded me of the ones they had at a martial arts studio I went to as a kid. I was too young to climb it then and I left before I could ever learn.

Belarus placed a hand on the rope and looked back at me. Her drawn face seemed to weaken when she saw the shifting nature of my gaze. "Have you ever climbed a rope before?" She asked quietly.

I gulped and manned up. "No, but I bet I can manage."

She was silent for a long moment. Eyes focused on the ground, she drummed her fingers on her thigh, sighing as she thought it through. It seemed like forever had passed when she finally looked up. "No, you can't. Liar." Then, without even asking for consent, she wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

I yelped, trying to pull away as I asked, "Belarus, what are you-"

"Stop squirming and grab onto me!" She snapped. "I'll carry you up!"

My face turned a lovely shade of rose red (that was probably the most girly way to express something- My God, what have you done to me, Liechtenstein?). She wanted _me _to hold _her? _What? Why? I can barely get Stella to walk side by side with me! What the hell did I do to get her to think that this is a good idea? Heck, I would rather have Turkey be the one to hold me by the waist. Anything but her! I placed a hand on her shoulder and increased my attempts to push her away (kind of hard to when you got a cat in your arms), quickly shrieking, "No thank you! I can manage it myself so can you now let go of me because I-"

"Doitsu." Rolling her eyes, Belarus simply lifted me over her shoulder, her arm holding my legs in place. My chest and arms dangling against her back, I groaned. What was I- a damsel in distress? Did I look like Princess Peach?

I was forced to suck up my complaints and let myself be carried. Belarus was surprisingly strong for her size. That, or I was really light. Either way, she was able to support me as she climbed up the rope with very little difficulty. I think I heard a few of the crew members call out accusations of a sexy, lesbian affair in the making. I was both too angry and too focused on not dropping Sokka to care. Below me, I saw the boys start to make their ways up- Alfred first, the Netherlands last. Gibert was somewhere in the middle, trying to shoot me confident grins around Alfred's strong back. My mentor also looked as though he had returned to his usual, ditzy self.

I wondered how much of his vacant look was fake.

When Belarus planted her feet on the deck and placed me on the ground, I felt more relieved than a pooping man after a long battle with constipation. I placed my cat on my lap and rubbed my hands in my face, ignoring the people who asked me what I was even doing back here. I did not pay any attention to Belarus when she pulled off the coat and folded it neatly in her arms. I did not move when Alfred jumped onto deck and proclaimed that the hero had returned. I did not budge when Gilbert placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered a hollow joke. I did not notice the Netherlands when he swung his leg over the rail and took his place next to Belarus.

What I cared about was Turkey when he stepped onto deck. Rubbing his hands, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Hey everyone, I'm back," he called, adjusting his shirt. "How's-"

"Turkey!" In a blur, Turkey was pushed back into the rail as a certain redhead practically glomped him. Agatha weakly pounded her fists against his chest, crying as she screamed, "You idiot! You fucking promised not to leave me! And you fucking did! Asshole! I was worried sick about you! Why the fuck- don't you ever fucking do that to me again you jerk face!"

Irritation pricked at me as I watch Turkey wrap his arms around her in a stiff hug. She immediately flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his chest and sobbing shamelessly. "I'm sorry," he said, stiff but soft. "I didn't plan . . ." He stopped himself. "I'm sorry."

I puffed my cheeks, trying not to break up the reunion. It was sweet and everything, but I'm her brother! She should be fretting over me! "_At least she's not hurt," _I told myself sullenly, stroking Sokka's back. It purred and rubbed its face against my stomach. How cute.

Even though I am seventy-three-percent sure that Greece was a quarter cat, he was not being cute. He folded his arms over his chest, yawning as he lazily sneered, "Straightie."

Turkey snapped his brother a sharp glare. He didn't let go of Agatha as he curled his lip, demanding, "What the fuck is a straightie, jackass?"

"It's what. . . you're being," he said, yawning again. I mentally groaned. If I learned anything about Hetalia, it was that Greece would talk very slowly if he was sleepy and it was rare when he wasn't. It was frustrating how slowly he spoke at times. I guess that's a reason why Turkey hates him.

Said Turk stood in silence for a long moment. His amber eyes scanned the crew, looking for someone to support him. Everyone either looked away or sent him a condescending look. No one wanted to be a straightie- whatever the hell that was. With a sigh, Turkey slowly released Agatha and took a step back. Whatever hard words he was going to deal her dissolved when he saw that there were two streams of tears going down her puffy red face. There was even a big wet spot om his shirt where her face had been. Agatha looked at him with a trembling lip. Turkey softened, finding it within himself to place a steady hand on her shoulder. "That's enough, don't be upset" he said gently, like a father to his daughter. "Hell, I'm not dead yet."

She sniffled. "You could've been."

He sighed and shook his head. "You're impossible," he muttered. He slipped his hand away and looked down at his wet shirt. Another sigh escaped him. "Great. Agatha, could you-"

The redhead puffed her cheeks and determinedly nodded. "Got it." Agatha quickly wrapped her arms around his chest one last time before turning around and running below deck. The whole crew sent the both of them judgmental looks.

Turkey placed a hand behind his head, regulating his breathes in short, tense spurts. "I need to get a boyfriend," he muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear. I didn't know whether I should be happy or sad. Happy since he was no longer going to be flirting with Agatha. Sad since he was now pursuing his gay interests and going to break her heart.

"_Why does nothing ever work out the way I want it to?" _I mourned, burying my face into Sokka's fur. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. It smelled a lot like the ocean, though there was another scent in there. Something a bit more . . . spicy.

Unfortunately, my respite was short lived. The instant I felt myself begin to relax, I finally heard Belarus speak up. "Brother, please face me." I could not help but to look up. She stood a few feet behind Russia, holding the coat to her chest. The Netherlands stood at her side, smoking as he waited for his punishment. Russia, dressed in a puffy white shirt and black slacks, had his hunched back to the both of them, leaning against the mast as he rhythmically tapped his pipe on the ground. His depressing aura made it hard to breathe.

Everything grew silent as we waited for his response.

Russia's only reply was the tapping of the pipe. _Tap, tap, tap. . ._

Belarus pressed her lip and took a delicate step forward. "I'm sorry for taking your coat," she said. "Here-" She held it out to him. "-Take it. It's safer with you."

Russia said nothing. _Tap, tap, tap. . ._

"I know that you must feel like I betrayed you, but I had to do it. I couldn't let England keep them. Someone had to save them and I know that you were planning on a collective attack, but exchanging Seychelles required a lot less bloodshed. Please Russia."

_Tap, tap, tap. . ._

Belarus pressed her lips. "Are you saying that you wanted there to be bloodshed?" She demanded harshly. "Are you saying that you wanted to end a nation's life? Russia, you are not a monster. You are more than what they say you are. Russia, you are kind and gentle and perfect and-"

_Tap, tap, tap . . ._

"You are not a freak! Listen to me, brother! I'm sorry! I was only trying to help you, I was-"

I couldn't take it anymore. Gulping, I abruptly stood, stomping my foot in the process. The silence that was given to Russia was handed to me as everyone snapped their gazes to me. Russia stopped his tapping. I took a deep breath. "Stop being a dick," I ordered, holding my cat closer to my chest. "Belarus and the Netherlands were only trying to do the right thing. And you know what? They did. They saved Turkey and Prussia from the Red Coats. They outsmarted England. They froze _the Oberon _in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. It is because of them that I am here now." I pointed to the arm that typically had the red band around it. "If you would stop sulking and face me, you would see that I'm not wearing a red armband. I'm no longer a Red Coat. I want to be a part of this crew now . . . that is, if you let me."

It was as if my words had turned everyone to stone. The crew stood in petrified silence, unsure of what to say or to feel about that. I pretty much just told their freakishly scary captain to get his head out of his ass and grow a pair. The Netherlands was even giving me a curiously humored look while Belarus sent me a deadly glare. The scale was tipped, however, when a certain voice spoke. "Why would you want to stay here?" Russia asked, still not facing me. "What do you have here that England can't give you?"

I dropped my shoulders. "Happiness," I said. "I'm happier here."

For a second, Russia did not move. He stayed frozen in his spot for a very long moment. Then, he very quietly placed his pipe on the ground and straightened his back. When he turned around, a large smile was stretching across his face, bigger and longer than the scarf around his neck. "It's settled then," he said, walking past his sister and straight into my chest. He placed my hands in his, bending down to my height as he declared, "Liechtenstein, you are now a part of the Brown Coats."

Applause immediately filled the air. I blinked. That's it? Gilbert laughed and clapped a hand on my back. "Aw man, this is awesome," he declared, engulfing me in a big hug. He ignored Russia and Belarus's glares. "We need to celebrate this!"

"We can have a party tonight," Ukraine hopefully offered, taking a step from the crowd. Her smile was white and pure as she said, "I have a few treats I've been saving for a special occasion."

Russia nodded enthusiastically. "That's perfect, Ukraine." He flashed me a childish smile as Gilbert released me. "I think we all deserve a little break from this whole WAR business anyways."

I suddenly felt very awkward. I didn't know why, but everyone's excitement for me was making me feel . . . embarrassed. I guess I deserve this in a way. I mean, I don't get that many compliments. Every good word is either directed to Sherry, Larry, or Stella. No one appreciates the middle child.

"Why did no one tell me that my sister was back?" Guess who had to come up the stairs? In a split second, I was ripped from my spot and into Switzerland's control. My back was erect with surprise (and, admittedly, a little fear) as he fretted over every inch of my body, checking for any signs of damage. Once the inspection was done, Switzerland wrapped his arms around me and sent everyone spiteful scowl. "Idiots, can't you tell she's exhausted?" He demanded. "Everyone here better let her rest before this stupid party of yours if you want her to attend."

I rolled my eyes. "Missed you too, big brother."

Russia extended a hand to the stairs leading below deck. "Go right ahead," he said. "We didn't touch any of your stuff, so your hammock should be ready to use. Now-" He turned and sent a chillingly childish grin to Belarus and the Netherlands. "-I think you both need to come into my office right now for a little chat." They exchanged a look as he swaggered past them. Russia plucked his coat from his sister's arms as he went.

Switzerland didn't give me much time to do anything else. He grabbed my hand and dragged me below deck, rambling about how much he missed and worried about me. As I went, I saw Alfred curled up by one of the crates, making faces as he slept. Was . . . was he with Erwin and Bud right now?

I closed my eyes in silent prayer. Be safe Alfred. Please, I know you're strong.

You're stronger than me.

I let Switzerland drag me below deck. There was a certain warm scent of nostalgia in the air as I descended the stairs and stepped into the kitchen. Two giant pots of stew were cooking on the stove, making the air smell of rich meat and vegetables. We passed by Agatha as we went into the sleeping quarters. She held up a green shirt to my face and asked me if it was a good color. "I don't know," I said. "Ask your boyfriend."

She puffed out her cheeks and lightly slapped my shoulder.

I sat on the edge of Liechtenstein's hammock and kicked off my shoes. Already, my eyelids were heavy. Even though I spent the whole ride over in a state of half sleep, I was about ready to crash. Switzerland leaned in a kissed my forehead in a totally brotherly manner. "Goodnight, Liechtenstein," he muttered, face turning pink. He hesitated for a long moment, before adding, "I missed you."

"_I miss you too," _Liechtenstein said. There was such a sorrow laced in her voice that I thought that my heart was going to break. Never had I heard her sound so sad before. Without meeting her brother's eyes, I repeated her words and curled up in the hammock. Sokka laid down in the crook between my legs and torso, purring as it fell into a gentle sleep. Even with Switzerland's green eyes boring into me as he watched me from across the aisle, I was able to quickly fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.

I was there for a long time- that much I knew for sure. I spent hours drifting in a weightless void of black, kept safe in a comfortable place. I liked it there. I wanted to stay. I never wanted to leave. It was the same old, familiar voice that called me back to consciousness. "Liech?" I grumbled and rolled onto my side. "Liechtenstein?" Shut-up, Gilbert. I'm trying to sleep. Suddenly, he tucked his hands under my armpits.

I shrieked, snapping to full attention as I fell off the hammock. Even though he had released me, I could still feel the tingle in my arms. Stupid tickle spots. I wiped my hand over my mouth, groaning as I stared at the floor. "What the heck-"

"I'm sorry!" A familiar voice said. I paused. That definitely was not Gilbert. I looked up and saw that standing before me, dressed in a stiff blue shirt, was Estonia. He looked a little taken back by my angered visage, but he can live. Hopping from foot to foot, he bent down to my height, frantically saying, "I'm so sorry, Liechtenstein! I thought that it would be funny if I pretended to be Prussia! I just- you're not hurt, are you? Oh man, your brother is going to kill me!"

I shook my head and brushed him away. Picking myself off the ground, I told him, "I'm fine. You just startled me." I brushed off my pants, glancing enviously at my still sleeping cat. It somehow managed to stay on the bed. "Though, I do have to say-" I gave Estonia a kind smile. "-You have a very good Prussia voice."

He flushed, scratched nervously at his neck. "Oh, it's nothing special, really. Prussia can do a really good impersonation of me too."

"I don't know . . . can you impersonate anyone else?"

He lifted his arms up in a shrug, suddenly looking much sadder than before. He said, "Actually, no. Prussia is literally the only person I seem to be able to do."

I nodded appreciatively and we stood in an awkward silence for a long moment. I picked at my nails, waiting for him to say something. He brushed the tip of his foot on the floor, watching the shadow the lamps made trail along it. I looked up, noticing that the light source for this room was not the sun, but all of the hanging lights. How long did I sleep for? Reaching over to pick up Sokka, I asked, "So Estonia. Is there a reason why you waked me up?"

He snapped his fingers, looking ready to smack himself. "Crap- of course there is! Why did I forget to tell you? Russia wanted me to come wake you up since the party is about to start." He flashed me an excited smile. "They're going to give you your brown band and everything."

I felt myself grin. I didn't know why, but I was actually pretty excited about this. Whether it was from the ceremony or the idea of hanging out with the crew I have no idea. "Let's get going then," I said, stroking Sokka's back as I led the Baltic to the stairs. Before I stepped onto the steps, I glanced back at my hammock. "Hold on."

Ignoring his confused look, I trotted back to my pillow. There, underneath the white cloth, was the glass vial. The black liquid inside was still intact, waiting for Gilbert to drink it. I swirled it a few times, watching it swish around silently. Maybe I should leave it here . . .

"Liechtenstein?" Estonia took a very small step towards me, though he kept himself small and compact. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

I covered the vial with my fist and shook my head. "Don't worry about it," I said. I stuffed it into my pocket and gave a huge grin. He peered at me critically, unbelieving. I needed to lighten the mood. Without warning, I held Sokka closer to my chest and ran to the stairs. "Last one on deck is a rotten egg!" I yelled.

"Wait!" Estonia jumped to the side, barely avoiding me as I ran past him and up the steps. The pounding of my feet filled the small corridor, nearly muting his voice as he yelled, "I can't run, Liechtenstein!" I didn't care. A small part of me wanted to relieve the bubble in my chest and crack up laughing. Another wanted me to spin around and dance like an idiot. All of me felt happy.

The scary thing was that I didn't know why.

My foot hit the top step and I emerged into the dining room. Here the lamps were on low and the flames were barely bigger than the nail of my pinky finger. Most of the room was engulfed in a brown sort of darkness, making even the most familiar shapes seem like ghosts. I started to run to the staircase above deck when I noticed something. At the far end of the room, something was moving.

I stopped. My panting filled the air, morphing with the sound of the crew celebrating on deck and Estonia slowly making his way up to me. Peering into the corner, it took me a moment to realize what I was looking at. "You shouldn't be up here," I said, bending my knees and holding my ground.

A could see the familiar, giant shape shrug. "What no one knows wouldn't hurt them," Denmark said. I could hear the grin in his voice. I watched his relaxed grow stiff as he straightened his back and held his arms to the side. "Please hear me out, Liech. I just need-"

_Thud!_

I screamed and jumped a mile when Alfred suddenly jumped down the stairs and landed right by my side. "The hell!" I shrieked, clutching my chest and searching behind me for support. Alfred laughed heartily and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I could feel the bandage on his arm on the nape of my neck. "What are you doing here?"

Alfred's smile seemed to brighten the whole room. "I'm here to make sure that you don't miss your own party!" He yelled. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. "Estonia was supposed to do it, but he's being a little shit and doing it too slowly. You know, I remember this one time when he and I were cleaning the deck and he asked me how I got my heroic pecs. I told 'em that if he wanted these babies, he had to dedicate himself to freedom. And you wanna know what he said. The little shit looked me in the eyes . . ." At that point, I started to tune him out.

I awkwardly stood there, letting Alfred talk my ear off. My attention, however, was focused solely on Denmark. I could see it in the way he stood how frustrated he was. Like the ache in an old man's knee, I could feel him prepare himself for the moment he boiled over. I was prepared for it. But, he didn't do that. Instead, he stuffed his hands in his pocket and noiselessly crept to the stairs leading back to the prison cells. He disappeared down the case. Gone- just like that.

"Where is he anyways?"

I blinked, realizing that Alfred's blue eyes were brimming with anticipation. What was he saying before?

"I'm right here," Estonia said, finally emerging from the sleeping chambers. I'm not even going to ask what took him so long. "Sorry for-"

"Okay, cool story bro." Alfred laughed again, this time snatching my hand in his. "Let's go, slow pokes!" He yelled, dragging me up the stairs. "We're missing out on all the fun!"

The cool night air hit me like a whip. Stumbling over my feet, I took a small glance at the stars before looking at the crew. Everyone sat around a fire (don't ask me how they kept that going without burning down the whole ship), holding bowls of stew and glasses of rum. Upon seeing me, everyone cheered and shouted out a good tiding. I think everyone was just the slightest bit buzzed.

Russia, rightfully wearing his coat once more, rose to his feet. He smiled softly as he clapped his hands. "Gentlemen and ladies," he said, immediately silencing them all. "Our subject for the evening has finally arrived. We may now begin the ceremony" I felt my cheeks burned as everyone respectably clapped. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do or say. Alfred sure wasn't going to give me a hand.

Russia maneuvered through the people, not apologizing when they had to scoot out of the way for him. When he was barely a foot away, he took my hand in his and smiled. "Liechtenstein, would you like to be part of my crew? Through sickness and through health. Good times and bad? Life and death?"

I wasn't Liechtenstein. My mouth should have been filled with sticky glue and my words impossible to make. Yet, I felt myself giving a confident nod. "Yes. I swear."

He nodded and held my hand to his lips. He gently kissed the tips of my fingers. I tried my best not to shrink back or wipe my hand when he pulled away. The captain turned his back to me and faced the crew once more. "My fellow, I now must ask you: is there anyone here who objects to this fine principality joining our crew?" No one said anything. Russia clapped his hands together. "Then it is done! Liechtenstein, you are now a part of _the Romanov_!"

I blinked as everyone broke into enthusiastic cheering. "Wait, that's it?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows as I looked between Alfred and Russia. "I thought that this was supposed to be something more . . . formal?"

Russia gave a slight shrug. "We've actually never done anything like this before," he told me. "I made it up on the spot, which reminds me-" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a strip of brown cloth. "-This goes on your arm."

Before I could take it from him, Alfred greedily snatched it from his hands. "Here, I'll put it on ya," he said, obviously smiling as Russia sent him a dark glare. I grinned uncertainly, a silent plea to spare the ghost's life. Once it was tied tightly around my left arm, both he and Russia stepped back and let the crew see me. Once again, they clapped and cheered and hollered like wild animals. Even Ukraine seemed uncharacteristically pumped up by this.

Gilbert swung a beer in the air, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Hey Liech! You should entertain us!"

I scowled as everyone voiced some sort of agreement. "Like what?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest. I was no performer- Stella is. She was blessed with such an ability to leave her stoic shell in order to give a breathtaking performance. Entertainment was not my forte.

Ukraine placed a hand over her mouth as she giggled. "Can't you sing, Liechtenstein?"

"_I don't know," _I thought, looking up at the sky. "_Can I, Liech?"_

I heard her sigh. "_Yes I can. Just sing something you know. You'll be fine."_

Fat chance at that. "I don't know any songs," I told them.

Switzerland nearly dropped the gun he had been cleaning. "What do you mean that you don't know any songs?" He demanded harshly. I couldn't tell if he was buzzed or not, but for the sake of my sanity let's just presume he was. "Austria and I have taught you plenty!"

"What's this?" I felt someone stick their hand into my pocket, the very one I stuck the vial in. Crap. I screamed and jerked away, realizing too late that my invader was the Netherlands. His slender digits drew away, pulling out his prize: the folded up piece of paper I wrote on during the boat trip over here.

My heart jumped. "Give that back!" I demanded, holding out my hand for it.

He shook his head and held it up to his green irises. "What is this?" He asked again, carefully unfolding it.

Like a thief in a market place, I swiped it from his hands. "It's a poem I wrote," I explained, stuffing it back where it belonged. "I'm still working on it, so-"

"A poem!" Gilbert shouted, falling over onto the floor as he laughed obnoxiously. There was no doubt about it- he was definitely drunk. For no apparent reason, he pointed a finger to the sky. "You can sing that!" Everyone voiced an agreement, nodded and beckoning me to sing. Even Russia and Alfred were giving me expecting looks. Traitors.

The Netherlands stuck his hands into his pockets and sunk into a seat between Switzerland and Turkey. "I love poems," he said as he pulled out a new cigarette. He held it out to the fire, lighting the tip. "Let's see how good yours is."

I frowned. That was a challenge. He was challenging my ability to write. Pressing my lips together, I pulled the poem out of my pocket. "_I'll show him," _I thought, unfolding the crisp page. "_I'll-" _I stared at my words. For a moment, my mind shut down. "_Liechtenstein, how do you sing?"_

"_It's easy," _she told me patiently. "_Just close your eyes and do it. You'll be fine." _I couldn't close my eyes (I had to look at the words), but I could try just doing it. It couldn't be any harder than singing in the shower. Not that I belted out _Beauty and the Beast _every time I used Head and Shoulders or anything. Burying my face in my paper, I cleared my throat, wiped the worries from my mind, and softly started to sing.

"_Across the velvet sea,_

_Against the setting sun"_

"I can't hear you," Gilbert called. I broke my concentration for a split moment, but quickly forced myself to continue. I made sure to raise my volume.

_A soul hides locked away-_

_Captor on the run._

_So sad- it yearns to become_

_An eagle in the sky_

_And high up it will go_

_Far 'way it will fly._

Agatha jumped from her spot next to Ukraine and rushed over to Turkey. "Do you want to dance with me?" she asked, batting her thin lashes.

Turkey hesitated. By the way he stretched out his hand to her, I would say that he really did want to spin her around in a waltz, yet something held him back. "I don't dance," he said quickly.

"What are you talking about?" Switzerland asked, taking a swig of his own beer. His buzz was making him lose his hostile visage, making him smile happily with red cheeks. "You're the best dancer I've ever seen. Especially that one time you and Spain belly danced-"

Turkey slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut it," he ordered, but it was too late. Agatha was already widening her eyes and trembling her lower lip in a pout. He looked around at the crew again, seeking approval, but no one seemed to care. Sighing, he shook his head and rose to his feet. "Just this once," he said. Agatha clapped her hands together and squealed before dragging him by the hand to an open area to dance.

Turkey shot me an annoyed look. "Keep singing," he ordered. "I can't dance if there's no music."

I blinked, realizing for the first time that I had let my voice die away. I quickly stuck my nose back to the paper and continued singing, trying to ignore Turkey as he pulled Agatha into a slow waltz.

"_To the place that is my home_

_To the normal faces,_

_To the arms of my love:_

_The one bright place safest._

_Run, run across the ocean_

_With blessings of the wind._

_To the ends of the earth,_

_There will lie my kin."_

I glanced up and saw that Turkey was spinning Agatha. I was less amazed by how much better of a dancer she was compared to Sherry than the smile that laid on Turkey's face.

_Fly, fly- escape from this place_

_Till the end of all time._

_And I shalln't forget her:_

_The one love of mine._

_Run from my captivity,_

_From that soulless captain._

_To the land of my free_

_There will lie my kin."_

My voiced died away and I lowered the paper. A small smile stretched across my lips. There, I did it. I sang for the world. Panting a little, I scanned the faces of each crew member as they started clapping. They generally looked pleased, though Russia was hiding his face in his scarf. I didn't want to know why. Instead, I focused on the Netherlands. A small wisp of white trailed up into the air from his cigarette. Taking a long drag, he gave me an approving smirk. He said, "Well Liechtenstein, it's a start."

I smiled. That was probably going to be the best compliment I was going to get from him. As others started to give me their regards, I glanced over to Agatha and Turkey. Now that the song was finally over, their dance ended and they were giving each other their bows. Once Turkey straightened back to full height, their girl pounced on him, wrapping him in a suffocating hug. "That was awesome!" She squealed. "You're a great dancer, Turkey!"

For a brief instant, he started to wrap his arms around her as well. But then he remembered where he was and who was around him. He carefully plucked her away, firmly grasping her shoulders with his hands. He chose his words carefully, pausing before saying, "Thanks. That was . . . nice."

Agatha smiled, straightening out his loose shirt. "You know, green is a nice color on you," she said. "I like it."

"Straightie!"

As Agatha shrunk away, Turkey snapped at the crowd, raising his fist in the air. "Who the fuck said that?" He demanded.

Russia sighed, revealing his face to the world. He gave Alfred and I a defeated look. "I think everyone here has had a little too much to drink," he told Alfred and me.

"Better call off the party then before the hangovers start," my mentor replied.

I watched as the captain clapped his hands together. This time, no one was sober enough to hush their voices for him. Not that it mattered- he was able to raise his voice above theirs. "Okay everyone, that's enough for one night," he announced. "Time for bed." A few people dared to moan. "Must I bring out my pipe?" The crew sprang to life and they all helped each other put out the fire and clean up the pots and glasses. My stomach growled. That's right, I didn't eat. Again.

When Alfred went to help the Netherlands carry a passed out Gilbert, Russia nudged my shoulder and leaned into me. I stiffened, feeling his breath dance along the edge of my ear. "Liechtenstein, what did you mean by the 'soulless' captain in your poem?" He whispered. "Do you mean-"

I saw where this was going. It was cute in a way- him being so concern about Liech's opinion of him. I pulled away from him and showed him a confident smile. "I wrote that when I was on England's ship," I said. "I was referring to him."

Russia face dropped in sudden embarrassment. "Oh." He quickly looked around his deck, watching as Ukraine and Hong Kong helped each other carry down the pots. "I best be turning in for the night," he said. A wry grimace appeared on his visage. "Hopefully my sister wouldn't be too mad not to sleep with me."

I knitted my eyebrows. Now that I thought about it, I haven't seen her since this afternoon. "Where is Belarus anyways?" I asked, double checking the remaining crew. There was no psychopathic blond mingling anywhere in the crowd.

"Oh she's over there sulking," he said, pointing to the other side of the deck. My eyes trailed down his arm and followed his finger. Sure enough, there was Belarus, pursing her lips as she threw a silver knife at the mast. I jumped when it embedded itself into the wood with an ear shredding _thwack! _"Don't worry about her too much, she's just mad."

Whether it was an irrational fear or my irrational interest, I didn't know. All I knew was that I could not tear my eyes away from her slim form as she marched up to the mast and ripped out the weapon before retreating back to her starting point. Then, with a tense breath, she threw the knife again. _Thwack! _ I winced. "I'll keep that in mind."

Russia gave me one last look before wishing me good night. I returned the pleasantry, but did not watch him go back to his room. No, my eyes were glued on the first mate. Sitting on a crate, I watched her as I waited for the deck to clear out. It was a slow process- many couldn't seem to get their feet to work. Eventually, one by one, people cleared out and left the deck cold and empty.

Belarus and I were alone.

Picking at my nails, I searched my head for the words to say. What would start a good conversation, but not be misleading? When one popped into my head, I slowly placed my hands on my lap, asking, "Hey, Belarus?" She ignored me and threw another knife. I flinched. "What's a straightie?"

She flicked her hair, scowling as she marched to the mast. "A straightie is a slur invented by the Netherlands a few days ago," she said before she grabbed the handle of her dagger and ripped it out. "It's meant to degrade heterosexuals. Before then, it had no meaning."

"If it had no meaning before this, then why is everyone already offended by it?" I asked.

Belarus looked at me. A peculiar look was painted over her face, like a silent lament of how innocent I was. "You know how human nature is," she said, flicking the knife into the mast. _Thwack! _ I closed my eyes and clutched my chest. "Once one person claims offence, then everyone else will too." I jumped, not having realized that she was by me until she was gently scooting herself next to me on the crate.

I pressed my lips, trying to suppress my anxiety. I could feel Belarus's leg against mine. Some invisible wind drove the scent of her hair to my nostrils. It smelled like something sweet. She was three feet too close to me and I sure couldn't breathe. I looked away, pulling at my collar as I tried to dry my sweat. I looked up at the sky.

Above me laid hundreds upon millions of stars. White specks in the black sky beamed down on us. Never in my life had I seen so many at once. Even when Dad took Jerry, Sherry, and I camping there were not nearly as many. A small smile appeared on my lips.

I remember that trip. We cooked s'mores in the fire I built all by myself. Sherry complained a lot about the amount of bugs. Jerry climbed trees and try to observe nature as closely as possible. During one of the nights, Dad pulled out a telescope and invited me to look up at the sky. "That right there is Orion," he said, brushing away the few wisps of hair that fell out of his pony tail. "You know Larry, Greek mythology says that Orion was killed by his lover, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. You see, she was tricked into doing so by her twin brother. Artemis placed Orion in the sky as a way to immortalize him."

"That's kind of stupid of her," I said, not bothering to rip my eye away from the scope. The stars truly were fascinating.

Dad had placed a hand on my back. "Well Bucko, I think it was a noble thing for her to do. Orion was a mistake. She made a mistake. Artemis could have wiped her slate clean, pretend it never happened. Yet, she didn't. She chose to remember her mistake." He gave me a gentle smile. "I don't think that's stupidity. I think that's bravery."

Now, I found myself pointing up to the sky, attracting Belarus's attention as I said, "That constellation there is Orion's belt, part of the bigger constellation of Orion. Legend has it that Artemis-"

"Artemis killed Orion," Belarus finished. I watched as she nodded her head sympathetically. "Relax, everyone knows that one." She directed her light eyes to the darkness of the sky. "Have you ever heard the one about the shadow of the moon?" She asked.

I shook my head, beckoning for her to tell me. Belarus's face became somber as she placed her chin on her hand. "Someone told me this one a long time ago," she said, refusing to meet my eyes. "I can't quite remember if it was either Netherlands or Denmark, but that really doesn't matter. He basically told me that in the shadow on the moon, there is a person serving his prison time for some crime; I'm not sure what though. He's forced to sit in the darkness and look down upon the Earth at all of the happy people who have no idea that's he's there." She chuckled sadly. "Kind of makes you wonder how long he had to stare powerlessly until he was forgiven."

We were both silent for a long breath.

Belarus played with the fabric surrounding the hidden dagger on the belt on her thigh. "I'm not much better off than him," she added.

I gave her a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

The blond tensely sighed and ran her slender fingers through her hair. "I think you know what I mean by that."

I shook my head. "No, I really don't."

I watched Belarus as she looked back at the sky, thinking through her response carefully. "It's what happened between me, my brother, and the rest of the world," she said softly. "Surely you remember that."

My back tingled, but not in the lover's delight so many dwelled on. It was like a warning, traveling up my skin and prickling the hairs on my arm. I didn't like the way she sounded now. She sounded so sad, so childlike. My brother was the only person I knew that could make that kind of pitiful sound. It didn't suit her face. I found myself scooting closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, saying, "Actually, I don't. Switzerland, he kept me isolated and . . ." I shrugged, pretending not to notice her wide eyes and hanging mouth. "Can you tell me, please?"

Belarus looked down. Her chest rose and fell in a slow and painful manner. Her lips were pressed together in a tight seal. I felt my hand fall off her shoulder like crumbling stone. She didn't want to tell me. I get it. I placed my hands on my lap and looked back up at Orion. A mistake. . .

"Freak." I snapped my gaze back at Belarus. She . . . she was the one who said that, right? The woman carefully pulled her legs onto the crate and held them close to her chest. Her pale cheek was pressed onto her knees as she looked distantly through me. She was in another place now, a place far, far crueler than THE WAR. "The first thing anyone ever called me was a freak. Not Belarus, not Miss Country, not little girl, but freak. I really can't blame the man who said that. Not many humans realized that a little girl who could heal herself is a country, not a freak. The only problem is when I got older. My country's dependency on Russia increased and we were forced to spend more and more time with each other. Russia also has had a hard time. Many countries picked on him for whatever reason and he had a hard time relating to people.

"So many people attacked us. Called us cold hearted when it was just our weather. Europeans called us barbarians for having a Mongolian influence. Asians called us barbarians just for a way to smite us. 'Freak' became an even better name for us. Everywhere we went, we were branded by a single idea, a single concept that we could not escape.

"We were isolated from everyone else. We had been hurt so many times that we had no other choice but to draw closer to each other. Hell, we didn't even trust Ukraine- our own sister -to stay by our side! Russia and I were forced to realize that the only people who would accept us were each other."

She held her legs closer to her chest, saying, "We started to have sex then. When you were the only two people who accepted each other, what else are you supposed to do? Who else are you supposed to 'love'? Our 'romance' came shortly afterwards, but really we just . . ."

"You guys are only dating out of necessity?" I asked, numbed.

She nodded slowly. "Yes." Belarus switched cheeks, turning her face away from me. I thought I heard her sniffle. "I hate it, Liechtenstein. I miss my brother- I want him back."

For a moment, I didn't know what to say or to do. I knew that I had to comfort her, but I wasn't sure how. I was never in the position where people turned on me like that. Jerry had been- people picked on him for some reason. I shifted in my seat. That was terrible of me- people were picking on him and I never knew why.

Awkwardly, I started rubbing my hand in a circle on her back. I did that for a long moment as I carefully chose my words. "Belarus, I. . ." I took a deep breath. "If it helps, I don't think you're a freak."

She sniffled again. "You're lying," she hissed coldly, brushing my hand away.

"No. I'm not." Belarus stiffened, taken aback at the hardness of my tone. Something hot was in my stomach, making it hard for me to hold back my. "Belarus, you are amazing. The whole time I've been here, I've never once seen you give up. You're always in complete control of your situation. Just because some jerks are too stupid to realize how amazing you are doesn't mean that you have to believe them. You're only a freak if you let yourself be. Are you a freak, Belarus?"

She was silent for a long moment."No-"

"Good. Now believe it."

Belarus lifted her face off of her cheek and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She graced me with the smallest, but most sincere smiles I have ever seen. "Thank you, Liechtenstein," she said. "It's just- I get so scared sometimes that I actually am what they say I am."

"That's understandable," I replied, leaning back on my hands. I looked back at the stars and saw that Orion was smiling down at me. "A lot of the opinions we hold of ourselves come from what other people think. It's a common fear." I couldn't help but to quickly mutter, "Unlike mine . . ."

She did that girl thing where she brushed her hair behind her ear and gave me an interested look. Belarus asked, "Really? What's yours?"

It was my turn to be shameful. I really didn't want to tell her and face her ridicule, but Belarus had somehow managed to give me her life story. The least I could do is return the favor. Looking down, I scratched the back of my neck as I explained, "Oh, well its knives. I'm deadly afraid of knives."

Belarus regarded me with curiosity for a long moment, playing with the cloth of her skirt. Her eyes were intense as they searched for any hint of me fabricating a lie. I continued to look at the deck. It was dark like the sky, except there were no stars to light it up. "Come on!" In an instant, Belarus was sliding off of the crate, pulling me with her, and dragging me to the center of the deck.

My mouth hung open as I watched my small feet shuffle in an effort to keep up. "What are we doing?" I asked.

Belarus stopped me, placing two hands on my shoulders. Her eyes were brimming with a kind of determination that I have never seen before. It didn't help that the stars were causing her irises to sparkle with light. "Fear is the greatest weapon," she told me, reaching a hand for her skirt. "Not using other people's fears against them but using yours. You fear knives-" Suddenly, she flicked a silver blade in front of my face. I flinched. "Will make you excellent at using them."

I looked between her disturbingly happy face and my scared reflection. "I'm not sure," I said, taking a small step back. "I mean, it's a knife."

"And?" Damn her enthusiasm.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "It's a _freaking _knife, Belarus. I can barely use these things to cut my food. What makes you think that I'll be able to use that thing without hurting myself?"

"A knife is the extension of the body," she told me, taking a step back. Pretending as though I have already given my consent, she slipped behind me and positioned me so that I was parallel to the mast. "If you fear a knife-" she slipped the hilt into my hand and tapped my knees until they were bent the perfect way. "-then you'll fear yourself. And if you fear yourself-" She pressed herself into my back, moving my limbs in motion. Fluid like water, she had my arms pantomime a throwing motion. "-Then you'll never be careless enough to mess up."

I lowered my head, shielding my reddening cheeks. I couldn't tell if it was because her breasts were pressed right into my back or because she was acting like such a lesbian right now. Either way, pushing her away was not going to help my cause. After all, she had the freaking knife. Grinding my teeth together, I gave her a pained grin. "Extension of the body?" I repeated, letting her move my arms in another round of fake throwing. "Sokka said that once."

She frowned. "You're cat?"

"The person I named the cat after."

She stepped away from me. My body immediately felt so cold that I had to turn around to see what was wrong. Belarus was slowly stepping away from me, looking shamefully down at the deck. I didn't even notice that I was the one holding the knife now, not her. I tried to take a step towards her, but she took another larger one back. I took a deep breath. "Belarus, what's wrong?" I asked quietly. "You're acting. . ." I trailed off.

Belarus lowered her face even more, shielding herself with her bangs. We were silent for a long moment. Then, she finally gulped. "Liechtenstein, do you remember the other day when you were captured?" she asked. Carefully, I nodded. "Did you hear me?"

I thought back. Belgium struck me and I had seen Prussia and Turkey ambushed. My vision had been failing and I was losing consciousness. Yet, I did remember something. There, in the few seconds before my final senses disappeared, I heard a woman scream. "I think I did," I said, unknowingly taking a small step towards her. "Did you scream 'You?'"

She nodded stiffly. "I was scared, Liechtenstein. I thought that I had lost you and it wasn't until then that I realized how much I . . ." The country snapped her face up, revealing a hard look of determination. "I love you, Liechtenstein."

The next thing I knew, she was lunging towards me. I wasn't sure what she was doing or if it was even a threat to me, but I didn't think. I acted on instinct. The moment I felt her leaning in, I lifted my weapon.

Everything stopped.

For a moment, we both stood like statues, unsure if we even knew how to move anymore. I was panting, feeling my sweaty hands lose grip on the knife handle. Belarus had two hands on my shoulders. Her porcelain face was so close to mine that I could feel her warm breath on my lips. We were petrified like that for a long moment. Then, at last, I looked down. Her chest was a sliver away from the dagger.

I felt my body lock.

...did I just try to stab her?

Trepidation consumed my whole being as I slowly lowered the weapon, my feet hurrying to scramble away from her. I ran a free hand through my hair. No, no, no, no! Why did I do that? Knives are dangerous! I don't do things like this to people!

Something between a dry sob and a choke left my mouth.

I could have killed her. I could have fucking killed her. That fucking knife would have entered her chest and pierced her heart. Blood would spill from her body like a waterfall and no amount of first aid would be able to fucking save her. I would have murdered her. My God, am I a murder? Am I a fucking murderer?

What the fuck was I becoming?

"I understand," I heard Belarus say, trying not to sound hurt or betrayed. I dropped the knife with a _clang! _this time, fiercely shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my short locks. "You don't have to make it any clearer."

"I'm sorry!" I choked out. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto my knees. The only thing that was preventing me from crying distressed tears was my rational voice, ordering me to be strong and fight it. "Belarus, I didn't mean to, I-"

"Don't worry about it." Her voice was cold. The echoes of her clicking heels as she walked away were colder, lonelier. "It was a long shot anyways-"

"I'm sorry! I-"

"I'm going to bring Hong Kong up to start his watch now," she told me. Tinges of bitterness were seeping into her tone, making her words come out of her mouth in hateful spits. "Goodnight, You."

The music of her steps faded away and I was alone again. There was a cloud in the sky, covering up Orion's stellar form.

"You know, you completely deserved that."

I sniffled, lifting my face and looking into the far corner of the ship- one where there was barely any light. "Shut the hell up, Alfred," I sneered, wiping imaginary tears from my face. I flashed my teeth like an angered canine. "How long have you been hiding there anyways?"

He emerged from the spot, burying his hands into his pockets. The moonlight illuminated the white cloth around his arm. "Long enough to know that you need help," he said, pausing right in front of me. I looked up, expecting to see his warm visage of hope. But instead, I was disturbed by the glare in his eyes as he regarded me coldly. "Long enough to know that you haven't helped me at all."

"Alfred, what are you-"

"I know that you know who Gilbert is, Larry. If you're going to let me suffer here then I sure as hell ain't gonna help you out."

My jaw fell. Oh. Oh crap. He knew about Prussia. I felt the solid, safe wall I built around myself crumble away into pieces. I gulped, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Please Alfred, you have to understand. I didn't want to-"

He shook his head and stormed past me, sneering, "Piss off, Larry Sue." I watched in shock as he retreated below deck in a dark, fiery air. Again, the deck was filled with silence and I was all alone.

I shook my head, cursing my stupidity as I buried my face in my hands. "This can't get any worse," I muttered. Maybe this is what Mom feels every time Dad leaves for work. She claims that she supports him- wearing a masquerade smile -but anyone could tell how torn she was. She wanted Dad to stay home and be there for Jerry and Sherry and I, yet she wanted him to live his life. Such a hopeless situation to be caught in. Anyway she looked at it, she was going to be at fault.

I felt something land on my lap. Then I heard a distinct meowing. Without looking, I placed a heavy hand on its head and scratched its ear, muttering, "Not now, Sokka. I just want to be-"

Sokka squirmed from under my hand before nudging its head on my leg. I paused and finally looked at my lap. There was a crisp, white letter. My heart jumped in my chest as I hurriedly snatched it and ripped it open. I did, however, quickly pause to look at the red seal: The emblem was a clock that read midnight.

"Again?" I whispered, pulling out the white letter. I quickly unfolded the paper and held it up to the lamp light. It read:

_To She With My Name,_

_I apologize for neglecting in contacting you sooner, but I had faith that you perhaps heeded my advice. However, the events that unfolded minutes ago have brought to light an obstacle that I did not expect- you. She With My Name, you are my savior and my undoing. I beg of you, open your heart to Belarus. Open your heart to Russia. Forget any secular obligations and please listen to me. Love them or else someone is going to die. _

_Sincerely, He With Your Name_

I placed the letter back on my lap, feeling the cold engulf my body. Never have words left such a gaping, contrite hole within my chest. Everything from Belarus, to Alfred, to He With Your Name was making me hate myself more and more. _"If I was such a bad person to them_," I thought. _"Then how awful have I been to Stella?" _

Without thinking, I grabbed the knife off of the ground and threw it at the mast.

It landed dead center.

* * *

**MW: **And there we go. I bet there were a few things in there that made you guys take a step back and go "say what". So last update until July when I get back from my trip. Maybe. I mean, I have no idea if I'll have internet (or enough time to update) when I get there. So that's it for the AN since I still gotta go on my nightly walk and get back in time to eat ice cream.

Thanks for reading, peeps!

**Notes**

"It was either Netherlands or Denmark, but that really doesn't matter" So the story that Belarus told is actually something that happened in cannon. If you look at her wiki article, it states that she's heard of this story and wonders if she's any better than the man on the moon. Google it.

**Next Chapter: **Larry dwells in self-pity as he tries to sort out Belarus, Alfred, and He With Your Name.

**Merci Beaucoup, mes amours! See you in July! **


	10. Isn't This Supposed to Be a Happy Story?

**MW: **Oh my God—it is so hot outside! It's only one in the afternoon and my little weather thingy says that its already 102 out here. I hate California.

Anyways, I'm back from my trip! Well, I actually came back on the first of July (more or less) but I had to write this chapter while watching three new animes (_Attack on Titan, Free!,_ and _Dangan Roppa_). Then I found this great LietPol fic and it all went downhill from there. I ended up not writing until, like, midnight each night and staying up till one in the morning to finish. Yeah, that's not good for my health. Did I also forget to mention that the moment I finished this chapter last night, my dog decided to poop on my rug AT ONE IN THE FREAKING MORNING?

I just—anyways, thank you all for reading. I hope y'all enjoy.

And before I forget, shout out to **Shiralala**, whose birthday was on the fourth! Happy Birthday!

**Summary: **Everyone who Larry depends of kind hates him, so surely things can't get any worse.

**Warnings: **Strong language, blood, death, and flashbacks.

**Disclaimer: **I really own nothing.

* * *

**~Chapter 10~**

**Isn't This Supposed to Be a Happy Story?**

"_This is not what I intended._

_I always swore to you I'd never fall apart._

_You always thought that I was stronger._

_I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start."_

-**From the song "Fall For You" by the American band Secondhand Serenade **

* * *

**The Room: Day 15**

To Erwin, the Room seemed much, much smaller. Was it because he was more lonely, more worried than when Bud was with him? Perhaps the annoyance of his brother's carefree nature made the Room seem larger, more airy. Bud really did know how to lighten the mood. It was hard to believe that Bud could be intimidating with the clients when he had to. Erwin couldn't count the number of times his pressure caused that one of the contractees to pull out a cigarette and smoke his nerves away.

Erwin sighed and tugged on the collar of his pallid suit, wishing that he could open the single door out into the void. But doing so would bring Himaruya's wraith. After all, his father did tell him to never open that door until it was time. Erwin rubbed his hands on his face. Why did it even matter? Himaruya was going to kill him anyways. Not only was it his fault that the whole plan had to be modified, but now he can't even follow the greatest rule to being Himaruya's accomplice: make the client scared.

How could he have failed in something so simple? How is it that Larry Ebenezer Sue can swallow his fear and best him at his own game? How did that boy manage to stand his ground against him? How?

He ran his sweaty hand over his face. What was worse, he let Larry Sue see his face. Yes, it was before the contract but his identity was still known. If Larry ever saw him before it was time, the whole plan would fall into shambles. "I'm such an idiot," Erwin muttered, pulling at his hair. He might as well put a bullet in his head and end his life before Himaruya did.

A hand appeared on his shoulder. "My dear, dear Erwin- you are being far too hard on yourself." Erwin lifted his face and glanced behind him. There, standing tall and proud in his white suit was Himaruya himself. His breaths grew shallower as he watched his father give him a strained smirk. "After all, you are the master at finding a simple solution to complex problems."

Erwin shook his head. "Forgive me, but I have no idea what you mean by that," he said. Instinct told him to rise to his feet and stand in Himaruya's respect, but the hand on his shoulder pressed down on him, making it hard to even sit up straight.

"I think you know quite well what I mean by that," Himaruya replied. His smirk steadily grew more and more sincere until it was nearly a twisted grin.

Erwin shivered. He knew something. Himaruya knew something that Erwin didn't want him to. That was bad, very bad. The only reason Erwin would keep a secret from Himaruya was if he thought that it would be better in the long run for Bud's wellbeing. The only time he had to do that was when . . .

"But I don't," Erwin lied, keeping his face straight and hard. He clenched his fist, trying to hide his shaking hands. Sweat lined his forehead and made his dark hair stick to his skin. If Himaruya knew about _that, _then both he and Bud were damned.

"Oh, but you do." Without moving his hand from Erwin's shoulder, Himaruya moved to the front of the chair, looming over his son. His grin did not fade away as he regarded him with a mockful kind of pleasantry. "Let me give you a hint. His name is Aluino. Perhaps you remember now."

Erwin looked down, watching his hands as he picked at his nails. He could feel his perfect plan fall apart. No one but Bud was supposed to know what happened. But now the one person who should never have known did. For a moment, Erwin could do nothing but list off a long line of swears in his head. Then, very slowly, he nodded, whispering, "Yes. I remember now."

He could hear the laughter in Himaruya's voice. "Perhaps you would like to tell me?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could remember the day clearly. They had just made the second contract. It was an unexpected factor to the plan, but Himaruya insisted that it would be no big trouble. Erwin accepted it readily and Bud ate it up with excitement. Aluino was the only one to object.

Aluino was the middle child- Bud being the eldest and Erwin the baby of the so-called family. Aluino was usually very optimistic about the plan, but that day something changed within him and he threatened to defect.

"Kill your brother," Himaruya had ordered, showing for once the darkness in his cold blue eyes. "Wipe his existence from this world. I have no use for a broken tool." Bud appeared eager, ready to do the deed. But Erwin thought he saw something in the eldest's eyes. Erwin imagined—convinced himself -that he saw a conflicted man who did not want to betray his family. So Erwin did the only thing he could do.

"I showed Aluino mercy," Erwin confessed. His anxiety only proceeded to rise and he could feel the walls of the Room caving in on him. The dark haired man pressed his lips, quickly adding, "I assure you, Himaruya, that there stands no chance of him being able to do anything that will hurt the plan. Aluino is gone and he is gone for good."

He watched as the man placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. "Yes, I already knew that," he said lightly. Erwin's mouth dropped, but before he could speak, Himaruya quickly added, "I simply wanted to know if you were going to tell the truth."

"And you are not upset with me?" Erwin asked.

"If I was upset with this predicament, I would have tried harder to separate Aluino from the boy. But I did not, remember? I made sure that they met."

Erwin looked down, ignoring his glasses as they slipped down the bridge of his slender nose. He wasn't sure what he should say or even think. Himaruya knew that he had messed with the plan so early on, yet he never mentioned it. He did not scold him or made him rule the day he thought he could defy his father's wishes. He could not help but to wonder whether or not his father had ulterior motives . . . or if there was something else preventing him from getting mad at Erwin. Maybe Himaruya- dared Erwin even think of it? -_loved _him.

Himaruya smirked again, taking a few steps back. He made a sweeping motion with his hand, causing a second white chair to grow from the reflective floor. Unlike Erwin's, this white chair was plush and grand. He fell into it, crossing his legs and resting his arms on the armrests. He said, "But enough of old business- we really have better things to discuss. Midnight strikes today on the second clock."

Erwin wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he swallowed it in his throat. Finally, the criticizing eye was taken off of him. He placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, saying, "Yes, I am aware. Is there anything special that I should know about?"

"Actually, yes." Himaruya dropped his visage and drew his face. His pale fingers drummed on the armrest. "As to the plan, Bud will be taking care of Alfred. That will mean that you must be able to handle the client when he comes here. This is a very important job and you must not fail me."

"I assure you that I wouldn't."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You really wouldn't? I hardly believe that." Erwin's heart plummeted to the ground as Himaruya rose to his feet. His chair disappeared and he started circling around his son's, saying, "You want to know why I believe that? Simple- you had the job of intimidating the boy and you failed miserably."

Erwin shook his head. "But Himaruya, I-"

Like a lion to his prey, Himaruya lunged forward. He clutched Erwin's shoulder from behind, painfully digging his nails into the other's flesh. Erwin could not help but to cry out, gasping for hair as he tried to raise his hands to defend his shoulders. Himaruya leaned in and in a tight growl, hissed, "You first failed me with Aluino, Erwin. You then dared to bring the boy here. If you know what is best for you, you will make sure to not mess up your job. Understand?"

Eyes squeezed shut, Erwin hastily nodded. "Yes! I understand, sir! I-"

Himaruya shoved him out of his seat. Erwin landed on his hands. His face inches from the floor. The reflection of his wide, frightened eyes gaped back at him. For a moment, his whole world was frozen as he took a single breath.

Silence.

Himaruya's heels clicked noisily on the floor, echoing around the lonesome chamber. "If you love me, then you will not fail." His white shoes appeared in Erwin's face. The very tip stepped on his reflection, breaking the spell. "Our original client shall be in here soon," he announced casually. "Tell him about how time is running out. Understand?"

Erwin numbly gulped. "Understand, sir," he whispered.

And, like that, Himaruya vanished, the tip of his foot disappearing and the reflection's frightened face returning.

Erwin, however, stayed like that on the floor. His arms felt weak and he was sure that he could not move his legs. Closing his eyes, he breathed out his fears.

The original client was coming. That would be an easy job. All he had to do was play his usual game. Dance around the subject, barely let slip the coveted information. The client would try to be tough, but he would eventually pull out a cigarette and smoke away his fear.

The stench of sweat and smoke would clog the Room.

And, to the client, the Room would be suffocating.

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 15**

I am the worse person who has ever existed. Step aside, Hitler- you have competition. The biggest asshole in the world is right here and he sure as hell is ready to take the beating for it.

But seriously, I really suck right now. Yes, I didn't necessarily attempt to bring about the mass genocide of a whole race, but I broke a girl's heart. A girl who spilled her whole life and soul to me and I tried to stab her Hell, I didn't even think about what Liechtenstein might've done. I simply ripped her heart of out her chest and stomped it into the mud. And to make the number one spot on my list of reasons why I suck, I used a knife as a weapon.

A _freaking _knife.

I banged my head on the dining room table, moaning into the wood. I could feel the ink in my opened journal smear across my forehead. The last time I ever felt so crappy was on the day Tamara broke up with me. At least back then it was all her fault, not mine.

I noticed that Agatha's presence long before she even spoke. It was impossible not to- she silently stood across from me for a few moments as she gnawed on her lip and picked at her nails. When I didn't flash my teeth and sneer at her like a rabid mutt, she quietly took a seat. Her orange locks were frizzing around her like a cloud of smoke, bouncing as she glanced shyly between me and her lap. I felt her place a soft, cold hand on mine. "Are you doing okay?" She asked kindly, her own voice twitching with melancholy.

I sighed and lifted my face. Agatha's eyes were in that stupid wide eyed state that Sherry always seemed to wear. It is there in the moments before she breaks into selfish tears. It painted her face when Mom gave us news about Dad. It was there when she cooed to Bella at the hospital. I did my best to shrug. "I'm doing fine," I said.

"You know, when people say that they're fine they usually aren't," Agatha said. She gave my hand a little squeeze. "Rule of thumb."

I could not help but to frown. "Well I really am fine," I reassured as I raised my chin and crossing my arms. I tried to ignore how warm my hand seemed to feel without hers. "You can leave me alone about it now."

"And now you're getting defensive-"

"Am not!" I snapped my mouth shut. Crap, I shrieked that _way _too quickly to quell her concern.

Agatha stuck her tongue out at me. "Are too!" She made a low 'tsk' sound as she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, I'll definitely say you're hiding something," she told me.

I ran my hands through my short locks. If there was one thing I never missed about Sherry it's the way she can be so freaking invasive. Couldn't she ever find it within herself to shut her trap and mind her own business like normal, sane people? "If I told you, I'm going to have to kill you," I said, sending her my best glare. "Tell me, do you really want me to do that?"

She pouted and propped her chin on her hand, saying, "Dying might actually be the best solution for me right now."

I blinked. I had to stick my finger in my ear and dig out a little bit of earwax because I'm sure that I did not hear that correctly. Did I just hear Agatha, the mirror image of my sister, say that she would not mind dying? There was no way that was possible. Sherry was like the neighborhood you grow up in. You spend every day in it, living and breathing. All around you in the city, new buildings and roads and shopping centers pop up like daisies. Your neighborhood, however, seemed immune. Sure the young couple down the street might decide to redo the landscaping, but that was minimal. Nothing ever changed.

Sherry never changed. Throughout my whole life, she has been the same person. Her favorite movie is _The Little Mermaid, _she gets obsessive over everything, and she's bitter towards Dad. Nothing in her chemistry would add up to making her want to die. But as I thought about it more, I thought that maybe I could be a bit wrong. The new landscaping on the young couple's lawn might be replacing the traditional grass with rocks or flowers. Such a simple change, yet the whole neighborhood is riddled with talk and gossip for a week. What if something caused Agatha to change her lawn to flowers? What can be so subtly serious that it could go straight over my head that I would miss it entirely?

I suddenly wanted to bang my head against something. Idiot! That was so obvious- why didn't it occur to me sooner? "_Well, I've always been bad with this stuff," _I thought as I rubbed my temple. Agatha was looking down at her lap again, letting her hair shield her face as I awkwardly cleared my thought, asking, "This is about love, isn't it?"

Through her curly orange curtain, I could see her blue eyes snap up at me. Again, they were in that wide eyed, puppy-dog state. She nodded meekly. "Yeah . . . I . . ." She closed her eyes and sighed. The girl placed her head on the desk, frustratedly groaning. "I just don't get it! One minute he's my best pal and the next he's acting as though he doesn't give a shit."

I resisted the urge to sigh again. No, I was going to be a good younger brother and show her that I unconditionally care. I was going to hide the fact that I wanted to dig out Turkey's eyes and sauté them on an open flame. Stupid doitsu- making my sister's alternate universe version sad.

.

.

.

I just said doitsu again, didn't I?

Shit.

I placed a gentle hand on Agatha's, smiling and rubbing circles into her palm with my thumb. "Turkey's a major jerk," I said sweetly. "He's letting the opinions of others cloud his judgments. Trust me when I say that making you sad is probably not his intentions, but it would probably be better for our mental health if you just gave up."

She lifted her face. "But I . . . but he's sweet."

"Well he's being an asshole." My back straightened as Alfred appeared at my side, swaggering a bit as he slid into the spot to my right. Well here's another guy I can add to my list of people who hate my guts. At least, this time, I don't have to worry about my stupidity being the cause. I retained that I had all the right to protect Gilbert and keep his identity a secret. It's not like a few more days are going to kill him. Alfred pushed his wired frames farther up the bridge of his nose as he said, "I know that you must think that he's the greatest thing since the potato, but believe me when I say that if the guy makes you feel like crap he's not worth it. Forget about being his friend now if you want peace."

"We didn't ask for your opinion!" I snapped quickly. Irritation boiled under my skin. Who the hell did he think he was to just go up and tell my sister to give up? She has all the rights to be attractive to a guy, even if it's some sort of jerk like Turkey.

Alfred crinkled his nose. "Well I didn't come here to offer it," he returned just as harshly. Folding his arms over his chest, the man gave Agatha a heavy look. "Do you know where the hell Netherlands is?" He asked. "It's his turn to sweep the deck."

I felt sorry for Agatha. Her gaze kept switching between the two of us, hopelessly trying to figure out whom to listen to. When Alfred's blue eyes bore at her, she raised her hands and squeaked, "He said that he was going to the sleeping chambers to check the time but when I went in to grab something he was dead asleep on his hammock."

He snapped his fingers. "Well go get him."

She squeaked again like an injured mouse before hopping from her seat and scurrying to the stairs. I didn't even wait until she was pounding down them to give my mentor a smart smack to the head. He swore and sent me a glare. "What the frack was that?" I demanded, going in for another hit.

Alfred grabbed my hand inches from his face. His upper lip twitched in anger, viciously revealing a few of his white teeth. "What the hell do you mean?"

I pressed my lips and sucked in a large breath of air- anything to keep me from blowing my cool. I leaned in until I could feel his breath on my face. Sending him a dark, dark glare, I growled, "You can be pissed at me. You can berate me. You can hit me for all I care, but I swear to God the moment you even think about taking out your anger on Sherry, I will personally murder you."

"Agatha is not your sibling."

"At least I have one, America."

I knew that I hit the wrong button the moment his real name left my mouth. His eyes widen in a pained way that made my heart bleed. Maybe yesterday I would have apologized profusely and kissed his feet. Not now. Not after what he said. Not after accusing me of wanting him dead. Not after refusing to listen to my side of the story.

That probably was a stupid decision on my part. Alfred was clenching his fist and with our close proximity, I wouldn't be surprised if he placed his hands around my neck and strangled the life out of me. In matter of fact, he was raising his hands to do just that when a soft cough was heard. Alfred and I pulled away, sending our glares back to Agatha.

She nervously waved at us, trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Widened eyes and shaking, she said, "I couldn't get Netherlands to wake up-"

Alfred suddenly rose from his seat, throwing his hands up into the air. "Fuck it- I'll go wake the bastard up myself then!" He yelled. We flinched as he marched to the stairs, shoving by Agatha as he went. I curled my lips and gave him the middle finger.

When the idiot was long gone, Agatha released the breath I never knew she was holding. "Crap- what is up with him today?" She asked, leaning over and placing her hands on her bent knees. "Really, he seemed okay moments ago."

I glared at the stairs to the crew's sleeping chambers. Doesn't he realize that the price of his soul might endanger Gilbert? Shouldn't he care that so many people are suffering because of his stupid mistake? I huffed and rose to my feet. "It's PMS, honey. Even guys get it."

She cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy. "What's PMS?"

Oh no, I was not going to explain the female reproductive system to her. The last time I ever did that, I had an albino idiot attempt to make me my very own bra. There was no way in hell I was going to relive that embarrassment. I shook my head at her, telling her that I would tell her when she was older. Besides that, I didn't say anything else. I merely stuffed my hands in my pockets and stalked up the stairs to above deck.

According to the high position of the sun, it would be noon soon.

The crew seemed just the slightest bit sluggish today. It was like everyone was secretly recovering from a hangover, but were far too proud to take a break. No, they admirably bit their tongues and did their work under the intense, Atlantic sun. Technically I should be working with them, but I had yet to receive an assignment.

And it was the job of the first mate to give those out.

Belarus was at the bow of the ship, watching Estonia with hard eyes as he scrubbed vigorously at the deck. Like always, she did not look very happy. "_Well this is going to be entertaining," _I thought grudgingly as I slowly made my way to her. Belarus saw me, but she did her best to hide it. She crossed her arms over her chest and harshly demanded Estonia to pick up the pace. I sighed, shaking my head at her. "Hey, Belarus?"

"What?" I flinched. I expected her to be bitter, but I did not expect her to have such venom in her voice.

I swallowed and raised my chin higher. "I'm here to receive my tasks for the day," I said, cool and calm. Belarus blinked. I resisted a smile. She didn't expect me to say that. She thought that Lichtenstein was going to play the ignorance game with her. When she didn't reply, I took the opportunity to raise my eyebrows a little higher and place my fist on my hips. "Well?"

When the blond pressed her lips and bent down to the knife strapped to her upper thigh, I thoroughly thought that she was going to stab me until I was dead. My body instinctively shrank away when I saw the sun flashed in the silver metal. I know that Belarus noticed this and I'm sure that Estonia's humored smirk meant the same. Belarus flipped her knife until she was safely holding the blade and extending the hilt towards me. "Today, I want you to throw this knife into the center of the mast," she told me.

My phobia disappeared for a moment as I gave her a confused look. I asked, "You still want me to use this thing?" Even after everything I did?

"I want you to be safe." Her blue eyes narrowed and her thin lips formed a tight line. "Is there a problem with that?" She growled.

I quickly shook my head. "No, there's no problem!" I said. She held it out closer to me. It finally clicked in my head that I should take it before she decided to lodge it in my eye. I quickly took it from her, holding it dumbly in my hands. My reflection in the blade looked as equally stupid. "Actually, it's kind of endearing." When I looked up again, I saw the smallest of possible smiles gracing her cute face. In a way, Belarus looked a little like a porcelain doll.

Stella collected those. They sat in an orderly line on three long shelves in her room. Nutella made outfits for them and Stella would have me help her dress them up. Often times, as we sat on her bed and matched satin dresses with dolls, I would watch her affectionately stroke their fake hair and polish their white faces. "You know, all of them have names," she told me once, face drawn emotionlessly. "Everyone not only deserves a name, but they also deserve to be called by it." I never asked her what she meant by that.

I might never get the chance to.

I closed my eyes and shook the idea from my head. No Larry. Don't think like that. Stella's going to live- you have to believe in that! If she doesn't, then you'll never get to tell her that you love her. You'll never be able to find out if you were ever an insensitive jerk to her. Taking a deep breath, I turned to face the mast and tried to mimic the stance Belarus showed me yesterday. And, aiming for the dead center, I threw the knife.

"Holy fuck!"

Gilbert barely had time to duck as the knife decided to veer dangerously to the left, fly past the mast, and nearly embedding itself into his face. A few crew members screamed as they abandoned their tasks to jumped out of the way. The knife's voyage eventually ended when it slipped through the open crack of the captain's quarter's door. Everyone could hear the clear _thwack! _and a surprised yelp.

All eyes shot to me as Russia banged the door open. He looked furiously angry, his eyes glowing as he held a white handkerchief to his cheek. The knife must have scrapped along his cheek. "Belarus, in here. Now!" He harshly ordered through his heavy pants.

I opened my mouth, ready to take credit for the destruction but Belarus held up a finger. "Stop You. It was my fault anyways," she said calmly. She flashed me a stern, but kind look. "You weren't putting your heart into it. When mastering a weapon, you have to give all of yourself to it. No thinking about other things or else accidents like this will happen. Understand?"

I gaped at her. So she wasn't mad at me? She wasn't going to hang me upside down until all of the blood rushed to my head? I was sure that shock was making it impossible to operate my mouth, so I clamped my mouth shut and nodded. The woman patted my shoulder one last time before running off to Russia, shouting, "Calm down, brother! It's just a flesh wound!"

We all watched Russia purse his lips as his sister proudly strutted past him and into his room. Without another word, he slammed the door shut.

It was like a teacher had left a class full of teenagers alone. In fact, that was the only way to describe it. Every member of the crew breathed a sigh of relief. They placed down their ropes and brooms and stretched their legs. A majority ran across deck to talk to others (like Turkey to Switzerland) while people like Greece curled up between the crates to sleep. I saw Estonia rise to his feet, stretching his arms and rolling his head. "Oh man, I thought that she would never leave," he said, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. He gave me a gentle smile. "I don't know about you Liechtenstein, but I'm going to get a drink from Ukraine."

I shrugged. Like I cared. "Well you go do-"

"Liechtenstein!" My eyes went wide and I quickly ducked to the ground before Gilbert could pounce. He flew in the air like a cat, arms wide and welcoming. He went right over me and, with nothing to hug, fell to onto his face.

I winced, hearing him moan and quietly complain. I tentatively crawled over to him. Gilbert was rocking on his back like a baby, cradling his chin in his hand. I sighed. "Sorry about that," I said. "But it didn't even you so I'm sure it doesn't hurt that bad-"

"Yes it does!"

"Stop being a drama queen!" I snapped, feeling my face flush with frustration. Estonia snickered, covering his mouth with his arm. "You you shut your mouth as well," I demanded, snapping my fingers in his face. He made a 'peep' noise and stood with an erect back. "Now go get your stupid drink already!"

Estonia muttered a quick "yes ma'am" before meekly hurrying off to do as I said. Good riddance. The sooner he was gone, the sooner I could talk freely to Gilbert.

Turning back to the albino, I dropped my annoyance and placed a gentle hand on his leg. "I'm sorry Gilbert," I said softly, causing him to stop his childish rocking. "I didn't mean to trip you and I sure as heck didn't mean to throw a knife at you."

In an instant, he was back to normal, springing upright and flashing a triumphant grin. "It's okay, Lar," He said, rubbing his hand in my hair. "Everyone can't be half as awesome as me." Of course, he broke into laughter again.

My glare had no effect on him. In fact, it seemed to only make his careless laugh stronger. "Stop laughing," I hissed, lightly smacking the back of his head. "Knives a freaking dangerous I could have killed you."

He winked. "But you didn't."

I winked. "But I could have."

Gilbert frowned. "Touché, Larry. Touché." Tucking his hands behind his head, he laid back on the ground. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds pass over with bright red eyes. I felt like I should remind him that his cheeks were already red and peeling from burns. If he wanted to protect his porcelain white skin, he was going to have to stay out of the sun a bit more. "So why were you throwing knives in the first place?" He asked, not even bothering to look at me.

I shrugged, searching for the words to say. On one hand, I could reveal to him everything that I learned about myself and Belarus. On the other, I would have to betray Belarus's trust in me. "Oh, she just decided to teach it to me suddenly last night," I said, skipping all the revealing parts. I looked down at him. "Why?"

This time, it was his turn to shrug. "Oh, just wondering."

"Anything else you're 'just wondering' about?"

"Yeah, actually. Did you and Alfred get into a fight or something?" he asked quizzingly. "I know that my awesomeness prevents me from being the most observant of people, but I noticed that he didn't say hi to you this morning at breakfast."

I bit my lips. I couldn't tell Gilbert about our argument. If I did, I would have to explain to him the importance of his name and the vial. I knew that there was no way I was going to even think about telling him that until I at least knew why he was so important. But even now, I had no clue. Yes, Gilbert was an amazing guy in his own way. He's smart and kind and rather funny, but there is nothing about him that would make me believe that Erwin or Bud or Himaruya would be interested in him. If he wasn't a country, Gilbert sure as heck could be a jock at my school. For now, being silent was going to have to be the best answer.

"Alfred was just being a brat," I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do me a favor and just ignore him until he gets his head out of his rear."

Gilbert smirked, saying, "Anything for you, Liech."

All sense of confidence in me disappeared. A hard lump of something gathered in my gut. It was so heavy that I could feel it sink lower and lower into my stomach until there was a never ending hole inside of me. I looked down at my lap and started to pick at the dirt under my nails. "My name's not Liechtenstein," I whispered.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" I turned back to the rest of the crew to see Switzerland running across deck, aiming his gun at the man climbing up to deck. My blood ran cold as I recognized the blond hair- Denmark.

I felt my insides grow hollow. How did he get here? He should still be locked up in his cell. Once more, what did he hope to achieve by coming out here in broad daylight? Everyone here hated him as much as I did. There was no way any of us was going to let him escape unscratched.

Then again, none of that seemed necessary. Denmark was limping. He was bent over, hobbling like an injured gorilla onto the deck. One hand was on the ground, helping his bent, long legs to move. The other was clutched over his breast. The man's lips were parted in heavy panting and the sunlight made the sweat on his forehead gleam. His empty, haunted blue eyes looked past the barrel of Switzerland's gun to one person: me. I could not help but to grip Gilbert's leg as I watched him try to make his way towards me. What did he want from me, from Liechtenstein?

Switzerland growled and jammed his gun closer to his face. "Don't you dare move," he barked as Turkey and Hong Kong rushed to his side for support. "I said, what the hell are you doing up here?"

Denmark shook his head, pushed the gun away, and shakingly rose to his feet. Eyes locked onto me like a lion to its prey, he summoned all of his strength to sprint towards me. Every few steps he lost his balance and he would sway dangerously to one side. Often times, he had to catch himself on the rail or another crewmate. Everyone was too shocked to stop him. I was too stunned to run away.

Somehow, Denmark was able to stay on his feet until he was a yard away. His legs then fell out beneath him and he started to fall. He reached out for support, but there was nothing within reach. He fell on his face with a grunt, his arm stretched out in front of him. I watched as something golden tumbled out of his hand- a pocket watch.

Denmark lifted his head a little, just enough to barely look at me as he moaned, "Liechtenstein, I . . . I need to talk to you-" Switzerland came up behind him, shouting as he cocked his gun. Denmark groaned. "Please, Liech . . . I . . . I don't have much time left."

It felt as though I was stabbed in the chest. My eyes drifted from the dying man to Switzerland. Then to Gilbert. I looked at the gaping crew. Everyone seemed to be telling me no, yet guilt was telling me yes. The memory of nearly stabbing Belarus was telling me to kneel down to him and listen to what he had to say. I started to crawl towards him.

"Stay back, Liechtenstein," Switzerland ordered, glaring at me with his piercing green eyes. "He's dangerous."

"For once, I'm going to have to agree with your brother on this one," Gilbert added, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw his deep red eyes. "Back down, Liech."

"I just need to ask-" Denmark coughed. His whole body shook and quivered as he hacked up a small squirt of blood. My eyes went wide as a small red stream started to drip down his chin and pool onto the wood deck. "Take . . . someone look at m-my watch," he asked, nudging it slightly with his hand. "W-what's the time?"

I looked around, waiting for someone to move.

No one did.

Everyone heard him, but no one was going to move to help the Red Coat.

Without thinking, I sprung forward and snatched the watch off of the ground. It was heavy, heavier than it looked. But now that it was in my hands, I could not help but to observe it more carefully. It's golden surface was polished to a shine, allowing me to see my reflection. Attached to the top was a fine gold chain, linking the mechanism to Denmark's wrist. It was long, so long that it was still limp even though I held the watch far away from its owner. I clicked the watch open to reveal a clean white clock face. The two black hour and minute hands read that it was nearly twelve noon. But there was a third hand. I nearly didn't see it at first- it was small and skinny, but it too was curiously pointed at the twelve as well.

I could simply tell just by looking at it how important this watch was. I could not help but to swallow before announcing in a clear voice, "It's nearly noon."

Denmark grimaced and shook his head. "No, it's m-midnight."

I tore my eyes from the watch face and gave him a confused look. "What do you mean-"

"Brother!" Suddenly, the Netherlands was pushing Switzerland aside, ignoring his shouts of protest as he knelt to the Dane's side. The man's hair was flat from sweat and his eyes were wide with fear. He placed his hands on Denmark's sides, checking for any vitals. "Are you alright?" he demanded frantically. "What's happening-"

Denmark forced his signature smile. "Hey . . . Neder. Time's just run. . ."

The Netherland's hands dropped dead to his sides. His mouth hung open as he slowly processed what that meant. Slowly, he started to shake his head. "No, that's impossible," he whispered, voice trembling like a drum. "It can't be the end yet."

"I-it's nearly midnight."

He shook his head harder, tears flooding down his face. "No! That's impossible!" He sobbed. The Netherlands lowered his head until his forehead was on the Dane's. Denmark closed his eyes and sighed contently as the Netherlands cried even harder. "I'm so sorry, Den. I should have tried harder. I should have-"

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I tore my eyes from the scene to see that Alfred was kneeling behind me, eyes glued on the two blonds. "Back up," he ordered softly, nudging me away. "Give them some space, Lar." I looked down and sighed before quickly obliging to his request.

"W-wait!" I paused, looking back at Denmark. The Netherlands was helping him sit up, allowing him to weakly extend his arm towards me. There was a film over his eyes, making his blue orbs seem dull. "Liech, I need . . . to ask-" He hacked, coughing up another thick wad of blood. I flinched, shrinking back. He wiped his arm over his mouth, smearing red over his pale skin. I saw the Netherlands hold him closer to his chest. Somehow he was able to clear his throat and steady his voice long enough to say, "I-i need permission, Liech."

I started to inch forward. "Permission to do what?" I asked.

Alfred, however, grabbed my arm. "Don't get too close," he ordered sternly. I was about to object to his restraint- demand that he let me find out what the heck Denmark was trying to ask me all this time -but the words died in my mouth. I could see that even in Alfred's eyes, there was fear. Looming and brooding fear shining behind his confident visage. He was terrified. The thing that was happening to Denmark- it was making him scared beyond all control. He must have been trying so hard to appear calm in front of me.

Denmark lifted his hand again. "Liech, I-" He coughed violently again before suddenly screaming with pain.

I winced, placing a hand over my ears. There was nothing more I would have wanted than to block out that tragic shrill. The Dane's hand flew to his chest, causing the Netherlands to cradle him closer and coo comforts into his ear. His ruckus caused the chain to the pocket watch to fly around violently.

As the crew gaze down at him with discomfort, I looked down at the watch again. All three of the hands were finally pointing up to the twelve. My eyes shot up to the suffering country. "It's midnight," I said, barely loud enough for everyone else to hear. Even though most of the people there had no idea what that meant, everyone shifted on their feet nervously and averted their gaze.

Then Denmark stopped screaming.

He stopped moving.

I stared at him.

He did not try to raise another hand towards me.

His chest was not moving.

Blood no longer spilled from his mouth.

The Netherlands delicately tilted his limp head towards his. The moment he released him, Denmark's head would roll to an unnatural angle. Tears reappeared again in his eyes as he quickly fixed his head into a natural position, whispering, "C'mon Mathias. Wake-up, you can't be gone now. We still have too much to do." Denmark did not move. Another sob pushed up through his throat. "Mathias!"

The blood in my veins turned into ice. No matter how much I internally screamed for me to look away, I could not even lift a finger. I wasn't breathing. Everything inside of me felt numb. Was Denmark really . . .

Alfred nudge me again. "C'mon, let's-"

"Alfred." He tore his eyes from me and looked at the source: the Netherlands.

Slowly, the Netherlands lifted his face in a narrow glare. His eyes were bloodshot, making the green in them glow with furry. Chills traveled up my spine as he growled, "This is going to be you, Alfred."

Alfred immediately fell back onto his hands and tried to scramble as far away from the man and his corpse as possible. In the process, his glasses fell off of the tip of his nose. One of the lenses cracked while the other shattered into tiny little pieces. His breaths quickened and grew heavy with labor. I could see the veins popping in his neck. He was gasping, his eyes wide with horror. Sweat trickled down his face.

"What's going on here?" Russia and Belarus pushed their way through their crew members, only balking when they saw Denmark and the Netherlands. Belarus's skin turned white while Russia's mouth made a small 'o'. "What happened?" the captain demanded, shooting the Dutchman a sharp look. "What is wrong with Denmark?"

The Netherlands bit his lip. For a second, I thought that he was going to hold back. But he somehow found his voice. It was cold, dark, and hard. It seemed deprived of all emotions. Endlessly empty. "He's dead."

I couldn't take it any longer. Without much thought, I jumped to my feet, pushed past Alfred and Gilbert and anyone else who might hinder me and ran to the stairs below deck. My heart pounded in my ears and I couldn't hear anything but my own panting. When my foot hit the last step, I paused and braced myself against the wall. My hand was over my chest. It hurt. Everything about me hurt. My head, my chest, my arms, my legs- everything. It was like there were thousands of needles piercing my skin all at once.

I groaned, running my hands through my hair. No, I was not going to cry. I was going to bite my lip and be strong. I was not going to fail Dad. I was-

Denmark wanted to asked me something. All of my breath left my lungs. This whole time, he wanted to ask me something. I placed a hand on my chest, feeling my heart beat erratically against my skin. There was no such thing as individual heartbeats anymore. There was only one single tone ringing in my chest. Was this what happened to the heart when the heart monitor turned into an even line?

I slid down onto the floor, gulping for air like a fish.

What if Denmark's question could have saved him?

What if this whole time he was a time-bomb that only I knew how to deactivate?

Why hadn't I listened?

Why am I such a failure?

I screamed, banging my fist onto the wall behind me. I'm an idiot. I'm a fucking idiot. This was all my fault. Everything was my fault. I'm evil. I'm terrible. I'm selfish. I'm cruel. I shouldn't be alive. I should be the one dead. I should have gotten into that car accident. I shouldn't have encouraged Stella to act. I shouldn't even be alive. Why am I alive? Why should someone as worthless as me even exist? I should die. I _need _to die-

"_Calm down, Larry! You're not breathing!" _

I noticed for the first time that there was a sharp pain in my chest- starved lungs. I truthfully didn't care. I shook my head, causing the tears that brimmed around my eyes to finally fall. They slid down my cheeks like molasses and landed on my lap in large splats. "It's my fault, Liech!" I sobbed, turning around to bang my fist more easily on the wall. "It's my fucking fault!" I hit it again. "I always fucking mess up!" And again. "Fuck me!" And again. "Fucking kill me!"

"_You're upset and thinking irrationally. None of us had any idea what Den-"_

"Shut the fuck up!" This time, when I hit the wall, the skin on my knuckles split. Gasping, I shot my hand to my chest. Blood spilt between my fingers and traveled down my palm and arm. It was warm. It was sticky. Behind my eyes, I saw my thumb cut open and my brother looking guilty with the knife. I croaked, lowering my face into my hand. I tasted the bitter mixture of my tears and blood. Salt and metal. "I can't do anything right," I sobbed. "I'm never good enough, Liech. Why can't I ever be good enough? If I was good enough, he might be home more. He might actually want to be with me. Why can't I ever do anything right? Fucking . . ."

The word died in my mouth. Years of biting my lip and raising my chin was finally going to waste. I was holding back nothing now. I was no longer going to be strong.

I was never meant to be strong.

I didn't know how or why, but I felt myself lapse into a never ending land of darkness.

* * *

**The Void: Day 15**

It took me a minute to realize where I was. All around me was the black expanse of the Void. I was in my own body once again. My back was on the cold ground, a small comfort to revel in. My hand hurt. I had a splitting headache. I placed my hand on my forehead, feeling the sweat coat my fingers. I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. I could not help but wonder what exactly happened.

Then, it all came crashing back.

I felt a new sob travel up my throat. "Oh shit," I groaned as a new wave of tears fought their way to my eyes. I could feel them travel down the sides of my face and become lost in my orange hair. I pulled off my glasses and rubbed my fist into my eyes. "I'm a fucking bastard."

"Don't say that." I felt a warm hand on the top of my head. Sniffling, I pulled my hand away and saw the smiling- comforting -visage of Liechtenstein. She was seated at my head, gently running her fingers through my hair. Her eyes shone with concern. I saw her smile drop into a frown as she saw the bloodshot whites of my eyes. "Please don't do this to yourself," she said softly.

I avoided her plead like fire. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked, sounding like a parent first waking up on Christmas morning. Except today wasn't a happy one. Today, Denmark was dead. Today, I could have saved him.

"You were hurting yourself, Larry," she said. Her voice was quiet, shaken with fright. "I tried to get you to calm down, but you yelled at me to shut up. So I . . ."

We were silent for a long moment. "I understand," I told her, sitting upright. I looked her in the eye for a long moment before wrapping my black jacket closer to my body. I felt cold. I felt like the thing that gave me my warmth had died. Why didn't I know the thing's name? I loved that thing.

She reached over and placed my aching hand in hers. Without my shield, her blue eyes could see everything about me perfectly. They could see how truly scared I was. How stupid I was. At first, I thought that she was going to be ashamed of me. I thought that she was going to brush me away and tell me to toughen up. But she didn't. Instead, she asked, "Remember what I told you the last time you were here?" I shook my head. I didn't feel like having to remember anything. "I told you that I knew that there was something bothering you and that if you ever needed anyone to talk to, I'm here to listen."

I blinked. "So?"

"Something is wrong Larry and I'm here to listen to you." I could not help but to bite my lip as I looked away. Her grip on my hand tightened as she pleaded, "_Please _Larry, talk to me. I promise that I wouldn't judge you."

For a second, I seriously considered giving her a smile and insisting that I was okay. I seriously considered putting back on my mask and being the strong one again. There only thing preventing me was how tired I felt. I was tired of being ignored. I was tired of being silent. I was tired of being independent and brave.

But most of all, I was tired of being strong.

"Where do I even start?" I asked, looking up to meet her gaze.

A small, relieved smile found its way back onto Liechtenstein's lips. "Start from the beginning," she said. "Talk about anything you need to. I'm here for you."

I nodded. Where to start? When did my problems first arise? "Well, I . . ." I paused. The words were choking in my throat. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Come on, Larry. Talking about your feelings shouldn't be so hard. You write characters who have feeling all the time, don't you? I pretended to be a character in my story. I held an imaginary pencil in my hand. I wrote out the words on the black ground, making them clear. Tangible. Suddenly, the block in my throat disappeared. "It started when Jerry nearly cut off my thumb."

* * *

**Real World: Long Ago**

The first thing I remembered was how hot it was. It was the Fourth of July and we were hosting a barbeque in our backyard.

Sherry and Bella swam in the pool, my sister showing off her new moves from her swimming practices. I had already learned to swim as well, but since Jerry was still too afraid of drowning, I decided to stay at the ledge with him. I remembered talking to him about the _Legos: Star Wars _video game, glancing back at Ella Moon and her husband. Their divorce was still years to come, but even then I could see the reserve way they treated each other. All pleasantries, no real merits.

Somehow, among the noise of our neighbors and friends having fun, Mom communicated to Jerry and I that she wanted to start grilling the meat. "Can you two be so kind as to fetch me the hamburgers?" She asked as she rose from her chair. Her beautiful yellow sundress seemed to make her perfect face glow.

Jerry and I were happy to do so. I ran with my twin into the house, chatting excitedly with him about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. We found the pack of meat easily enough in the fridge, yet we did not bring it out to her immediately. "Why don't we open the package for her?" Jerry suggested eagerly.

I grinned. "Okay! I'll go get something to open it with."

The package was one of those kinds you get at the supermarket- the styrofoam plate covered with cheap plastic. The thing would have been easy enough to tear open myself, but I didn't want to. I wanted an excuse to use something sharp, dangerous. I returned to Jerry not with a pair of scissors, but with a giant butcher knife, the one that was in the wooden block on the counter.

He backed away, eyes trained on the silver blade. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked. "Mom said to never use those without her permission."

"Don't be a scaredy-cat, Jer!" I teased. "We're big enough to use it. If you want, I'll hold the thing down and you can use it!" My twin hesitated for a moment longer before finally taking the knife. I grabbed the sides of the package. Part of me was worried that he would miss and hurt me, but it quickly went away when the plastic easily sliced open. I breathed a sigh of relief. That was simple enough. I really was just being a scardy-

I screamed, yanking my hand away. In his moment of triumph, Jerry forgot to stop moving the knife, thus cutting a deep gash in me. I quickly wrapped a hand over my left thumb, feeling the blood gather into my hands. There was so much blood. The warm liquid quickly filled my palm and started to seep between my fingers. I could vaguely hear Jerry cry as he begged me to forgive him. I didn't acknowledge him. Instead, I uncurled my hand and looked down at the wound. Through my blood, I could see the white of my bone.

I screamed.

Our noise attracted Mom. She rushed into the kitchen, assessing and mending the situation with the kind of swiftness that only a mother could possess. She called upon Ella to continue the party without her she was wrapped my finger in a white towel and drove me to the hospital. The doctors stitched up my thumb and told me that there was going to be a scar there for the rest of my life.

By the time we got out, it was already dusk and the fireworks were going to start soon. Mom bought me ice cream and we sat on the hood of the car as we watched the blazing lights explode in the sky from the store parking lot. "I told your father about this," she said as she licked her peanut butter scoop. "He's going to have a talk with you and your brother when he gets home."

Any normal child would have been terrified of being scolded by their father and I was no exception. I scared myself with the thought of Dad yelling at me for being a bad son. For a week I was plagued with the nightmare of how I would be punished: scoldings, spankings, groundings, imprisonments.

Initially, I was relieved when Dad didn't show up to on time for Sherry's big swim meet. I was going to be spared another day! When he came the next day, I stood my ground and braced myself for the scolding. I stood at the foyer, holding my brother's hand as he strolled through the front door. Dad quickly pecked Mom on the lips before rushing upstairs to my sister. He didn't even acknowledge me.

For the whole day I stayed in the shadows, waiting for the time he would bestow his wrath unto me. I knew that he was giving me the silent treatment, waiting for me to break into tears all by myself and beg for forgiveness. It wasn't until dinner when Dad pointed to my bandaged thumb as asked what happened did I realize that he completely forgot all about it. Dad could fret over my sister's swim meet but be oblivious to the near loss of my thumb.

At that moment I realized a simple truth, one I had secretly known all along- Sherry was more important than me.

I guess that there were other things that contributed to that idea- the following years were filled with a constant search for a way to get Dad's attention. I drew him a picture and flashed it in front of his face. He smiled and told me that maybe one day I could be as good an artist as Sherry. I asked him to go swimming with me. Dad said that he was too tired and sat to watch _The Little Mermaid _with my sister. Mom insisted that he did love me, but I didn't believe her. I just wanted his love, was that too much to ask for?

Once, when Dad was leaving for a trip to some part of the Middle East, he knelt to my height and placed a strong hand on my shoulder. With his gentle smile, he said something that would stick with me for the rest of my life: "Don't cry, bucko. You got to be the man of the family while I'm gone, all right? So no more tears. Be strong and take care of your sister, mother, and brother for me. Okay?"

From that moment onward, I sucked in my gut and did my best to be the man of the family. I picked up more chores around the house. I defended Jerry from our neighborhood bullies. I collected the newspaper from all the weird places it hid in the morning (one time I had to stand on a ladder and pry it off of Sherry's bedroom window because the paperboy somehow stapled it there). As I grew older, I found another way to connect to Dad. One day in the fifth grade, I opened up a notebook and wrote out a little story. Barely three pages and written in large blue cursive, it was simple and weak. But it was the first thing I ever wrote and it was the first time I realized how much I loved to write. I could write, just like Dad. I was one step closer to being like him.

But as I grew older, I grew further apart from my family. Just like every teenage boy, I no longer wanted to be babied by my mother. Jerry grew too quiet for my liking and I started to look for friends besides him. I still defended him from bullies, but not as often as I should have. I grew to loathe Sherry entirely. She was selfish, annoying, perverted, and arrogant. The very sound of her voice made my spine rigid with irritation. Most of all, I hated how she hated Dad. She had the unconditional love of an amazing man, yet she despised him for such a simple thing like following his dreams. He wanted to write, he wanted to be a reporter. She should stop being so selfish and support him in that. Why couldn't she see what a great thing she had before her? Why couldn't she understand how lucky she was to have his love?

I hated her.

Actually, I just wanted to hate her. Deep down, I still loved her. I still wanted to be her knight in shining armor. Even if she did get everything I always coveted, I still wanted to be a good brother for her. For Dad.

Still, I did not understand why Dad would still be gone for months at a time. Every day I asked myself what I was doing wrong. What else did I need to do to bring Dad home? Why couldn't I earn his love? What was I missing? Why did he hate me? Why did I always screw things up?

Why could I never do anything right?

Hell, I couldn't even be a good friend.

I was the one who first encouraged Stella to step into acting. That day at the movie theatre was the start of the falling dominos. As each one fell, the intricate picture became more and more clear, making me realize one single fact that I could no longer deny: I love her. I love Stella Hoshi with all my heart and soul and I never wanted her to leave me. Never.

Yet, in all of my stupidity, it nearly happened.

It all started on the day of her drama audition.

It was the start of the school year and the August air was hot and humid. Earlier that week, they announced on the morning announcements that there would be auditions for the winter musical: _Chicago. _For a week, I would spend my afternoons at the Moon/Hoshi household, helping Stella to practice her singing and dancing. At least I tried to. Bella did a lot of the coaching for me, so Nutella kept me occupied by making me help her make Japanese cuisine. "I didn't even know that you could sing like that," I told her once as I finished shaping another batch of sticky white rice into little balls.

Stella didn't even shrug, though I could see one in the way she shifted her eyes. "I was part of my old school's choir club," she told me. "We performed every year at the Founder's Festival."

When the big day came, I sat at the back of the auditorium, watching every girl and boy come on stage and belt out their songs. It was dark, but the stage was lit up and I could see every face perfectly. I sat in a velvet blue seat, trying to hold down my leg and suppress my jitters. Stella seemed pretty calm when I escorted her to the line, but I couldn't help but to be anxious. What if she didn't make it? What was I supposed to tell her? That I was right? That she didn't have what it took to be an actress?

"Is this seat taken?" I jumped. A girl with long blond hair stood at the aisle, pointing at the empty seat beside me. In the darkness, I could barely make out her green eyes and angular face. She looked down at my hopefully, flashing an unsure smile.

It took me a second to realize why she had a slight accent. Was she Tamara, the exchange student from Ukraine? I heard a few guys talking about her in the locker rooms after gym. From what I could tell, they weren't lying when they said that she was hot. Everything about her screamed Gossip Girl magazine. Quickly focusing my staring eyes back on the stage, I coughed into my fist. "Yeah sure. Go ahead."

Tamara eagerly flung herself into the seat, leaning into the armrest on my side of the chair. She peered at the stage curiously for a moment before whispering, "So what's going on in here anyways?"

"Drama auditions." Weird girl- why was she here if she didn't know what was going on?

She nodded again. Just when I thought that I was going to be able to concentrate on the girl butchering "All that Jazz", I felt her nudge my arm again. "Did you know that we have the same English class?" She asked.

Truthfully, I didn't. I sat in the back and focused my attention on my friends. That is, when I was awake. I had English first thing in the morning and frankly, I was asleep for most of it. Not that I cared, I was a natural writer. I knew all of that Jane Schaffer stuff already. I didn't need to stay awake. I did my best to appear cool and nonchalant as I shrugged my shoulders, saying, "Yeah. What about it?"

"You're pretty smart. When you were talking about _Romeo and Juliet _the other day, you mentioned a few ideas that I had never thought of before."

"And?"

"And I was wondering if you would like to tutor me in English." I snapped my head towards her, just to discover that her face was right in mine. She was inches away from me, so close that I could feel her breath. I could not help but to feel the sweat prick the back of my neck. Those big green eyes blinked at me with what I believed to be fascination as she explained, "English is obviously not my first language and I really have a hard time understanding a few of the things that we read in class, so I was hoping that maybe you could lend me a hand with comprehension and maybe with essay writing when the time comes?"

I was speechless. A hot girl wanted me to tutor her? Me of all people? For a moment, I thought about recommending the nerdy girl who sat in the corner of our class, but I decided against it. I mean, tutoring isn't _that _hard of a task, right? And for such a pretty lady too. I sighed and pulled out my phone. "When and where do you want to meet?" I asked.

Tamara looked as though she had to resist squealing. By the time we had a set day and time planned, it was already over. Stella had sung her song, given her quick bow, before rushing off stage. I had missed it. Even though I lied to Stella and told her that I saw the whole thing, I still felt guilty. For a whole week, I felt like ripping out my appendix and stomping it into the ground. How selfish could I be- missing out on such a critical moment all because of a girl? Stella was my friend and I had to be there for her! But when the cast list was posted and Stella rightfully earned the role of Velma, my guilt was forgotten and I started my tutoring sessions without any qualms.

How I actually came to date Tamara is something I really couldn't explain. One day I was walking with Tamara in the hallway, pointing to a certain quote in our literature book when a guy I knew smacked his notebook on the back of my head. "Calm down there, lovebirds!" He practically yelled. "I didn't know that you two were dating!"

I didn't object when Tamara told him to keep up with the news.

Just like that, Tamara the Ukrainian Exchange Student was my girlfriend.

Admittedly, Tamara was not a terrible girlfriend. She was sweet, funny, and an overall joy to be around. But looking back, I could see why the relationship simply wouldn't have worked. Our time spent together was either discussing the microcosm of _Of Mice and Men _or having a kissing session on her couch. There was nothing really personal about it. At that time, I didn't care. I had a girl I could make out with and have my hands all over. I didn't care.

At first, it seemed as though Stella didn't either. Even so, I always felt as though I couldn't talk to her about Tamara, so I never did. Whenever Stella and I talked, neither of us said the 'T word'. If I ran into Stella in the hall while I was holding Tamara's hand, Stella would pull a 180 and get far away from me. She engulfed herself in the new social life of our school's drama club. If I called her to ask if she wanted to play video games, she would say that she had rehearsals. If I suggested that we should go see a movie, she would say that she already saw it with her new thespian friends. We saw each other less and less until . . .

By the time February was rolling by, I wouldn't be able to count the number of times Stella texted me.

Because she never texted me at all.

On Valentine's Day eve, I finally had enough. It was the start of lunch and I finally located Stella in the hallway, reorganizing a few of the books in her locker. She looked perfectly at ease, her face as stoic as ever. Months of irritation boiled in my veins and I found myself marching straight up to her. I banged my hand on the locker next to her, causing her to jump in surprise. Stella placed a hand on her chest. "Larry! What's-"

I didn't give her time to finish. "What the frack, Stella?" I demanded, glaring at her from behind my glasses. "Why are you avoiding me?"

She didn't even blink. "I'm not avoiding-"

I banged my hand again. "Don't lie to me!" I yelled. "I've been trying to contact you since Christmas and you've been ignoring me!"

I watched as Stella pursed her lips. One of the rare times I get to see her show her emotions and it was anger. Anger directed at me. "And why didn't you just come up and talk to me during school then?" She demanded, taking her books from her locker. "Why didn't you come to my house after school? You know where I live."

"You know where I live too," I replied easily. "Why didn't you come and see me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Idiot, I'm not the one making a big deal about this, you are." Her insult never felt so fitting before. I wanted to bang my forehead against something. Why did I say that? I probably sounded like a desperate old sap. Stella gently closed her locker and swung her bag over her shoulder, saying, "The fact is that you're not concerned about me right now. I'm pretty much the last thing on your mind."

"So you're mad at me."

"I'm simply giving you and your girlfriend a little space." She raised her chin high, giving me a refine visage. She said, "We can talk when you have the time." And like that, she turned on her heels and stalked away.

For a moment, it felt as though my legs could not move. I watched her slim figure retreat down the hall until she turned a corner and was gone. I couldn't chase after her, even when I felt my legs defrost. I couldn't move towards her, if I did . . .

I heard the shouting and snares of the latest punk who took to tormenting Jerry. I rolled up my sleeves and ran to help him, shouting, "Piss off, asshole!"

Later that day, when I returned home, I found Mom sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of Jell-O. "Ella called today," she told me as she closed her fashion magazine. "She was wondering if you can tape Stella's production tomorrow night."

That was right- _Chicago _came out earlier that week. Bella (not Stella) gave Sherry (not me) enough tickets for the whole family. I hadn't seen it yet, though. I hadn't had the time. I dropped my backpack on the ground, asking, "Why can't she do it?" Neither of us paid Jerry any mind as he raced upstairs. I knew that he was probably going to cover up the bruise on his cheek with some of Sherry's make-up.

Mom shrugged. "I'm not sure, but you do own them after you broke their window."

"That was years ago," I said. "And that's always your reason for me to do favors for them."

She gave me her commanding glare. "Larry . . ."

"And tomorrow is also Valentine's day! I gotta take Tamara-"

"Oh just take her to the play with you," Mom said, waving her hand at me. I could not help but to glare at her when she said, "Tamara likes _Chicago, _right?" I think she did, but that didn't matter to me. I just knew that there was going to be no way in hell that I was going to take Tamara to see that show. But there was also no way in hell that I was going to get away with disobeying Mom. So I did what any reasonable man my age would do.

I listened to my mother.

After sending God a quick prayer (and rehearsing my speech a few times to Jerry), I pulled out my phone and called up Tamara. Like always, she answered on the third ring. "Hey Tamara, its Larry," I said, grinning unconsciously. Don't laugh- I was trying to sound happy and it was a force of habit. "I need to talk to you about something."

I could hear her hesitate. "What is it, Lar? We're still going to dinner tomorrow night, right?"

I bit my lip. When Jerry practiced it with me, he was quiet and polite. I was not prepared for this kind of reaction. "Well about that. . ."

Apparently, canceling plans for Valentine's day was just as much of a relationship indicator as making them. Asking a friend to play video games on the 14th of February was a sure sign that you liked them. Suddenly deciding that you could no longer go on a date to P.F. Chang's was a definite indicator that the relationship was damned to hell. Apparently, I was the only guy in existence who did not know about this.

By the end of the night, I was single once again.

I truthfully believe that I took the break-up pretty well. I was pretty upset that Tamara didn't trust me enough to just go with the flow, but it wasn't such a big loss. I could live without her. I do have to give Sherry big-sister credits, though. The minute she heard the news, she dragged me off of my laptop, shoved an ice cream carton into my hands, and insisted that we watched _The __Titanic _together. She never told me why this would help or where she even got the idea from, but it worked. By the end, we were both silently weeping over Jack's death.

I didn't tell Stella that I was going to her show. I simply carried my camera into the theatre, gave them my ticket, and set up camp in the front. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. As I flipped through the playbill, I couldn't help but to hate myself. All because of a stupid girl, I didn't even see Stella's audition. How was I supposed to know how she would perform live? "_They credited her wrong," _I suddenly noted. Maybe I was just searching for something to get my mind off of things, but I was seriously bugged by how it stated that Velma Kelly was played by Sayaka Hoshi, not Stella Hoshi.

When the lights dimmed, I turned on the camera and waited for the orchestra to finish with the over tune music and for the action to start. When "All that Jazz" started playing and Stella came out in a 20s flapper dress, I was immediately mystified. There was my Stella: on stage and embellished with a devlish smile. I sat there in my seat, moving the camera where she went, but never taking my eyes off of her. She was amazing. Her movements were so fluid, so nature. She wasn't no longer Stella, but rather Velma Kelly. It was so strange- seeing her turn herself into a completely different person. Where did she get so much talent, such a stage presence?

Two and a half hours later, the production was over. I stood on my feet with the rest of the audience, clapping my hands as loudly as possible. I even cupped my mouth and cheered her name. Stella didn't seem to notice me. She continued to smile, bowing and waving a hand to the crowd. When the curtains closed again, I quickly packed up my stuff and hurried to the backstage.

Various students were there as well, mingling in the hallways as they chatted with their friends. It felt like eternity had passed over as I squeezed my way through the crowd in my searched for Stella. Eventually, I gave up and simply nudged the arm of one of the ensemble men. "Is Stella Hoshi in here?" I asked.

For a long moment, he did nothing but give me a confused look. "You mean Sayaka?" he asked. I nodded. Why was he using that name? "I think she left already. She really doesn't hang out much after, like, rehearsals and stuff."

I let him go after that, lost in thought. Stella lied to me. She really was trying to avoid me as much as possible for the past few months. She never did go see that movie with a bunch of drama friends. She had been sitting in an isolated corner, feeling like an outsider. I never felt like such a dick before in my life. I left her alone and I was too stupid to realize it. That night, as I waited for Sherry to drive by and pick me up, I knew what I had to do.

The next morning- Saturday -Stella woke up sluggishly and meandered down the hall to her kitchen. The first thing she saw was me, sitting at her table, forming rice balls in my hands. When the corners of her straight lips curled ever so slightly, I knew that things were going to be okay between us.

We probably would never completely go back to the way things were before Tamara, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter that Tamara started spreading rumors around the school about me having treated her badly and taking advantage of her. I realized that as long as I had Stella by my side, I would be happy.

When I was with Stella, I could forget about having to be strong for Dad. I could forget that there was an ugly scar on my thumb. When I was with Stella, I was Larry Ebenezer Sue.

I was me.

* * *

**The Void: Day 15**

" . . . and I've already screwed up so many times with Stella that I'm just afraid," I said. "I'm afraid that no matter what I do, I'm going to lose her to either Erwin or my stupidity. And that can't happen because . . ." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't let that happen because I love her. I feel as though I can't live without her. She's done so much for me and I know that I don't deserve her, yet I love her. But she'll never love a stupid idiot like me." I buried my face in my hands. "How could she ever come to love someone like me?"

Liechtenstein was silent for a long moment. She had been silent for my whole story, nodded and looking down at me thoughtfully. It only seemed right when she didn't answer me immediately. When she did, it was not what I expected to hear. "I understand. She's an amazing person and everything with your father has made you think that you're worthless."

"He's never home," I whispered. I felt as though I no longer had any control over my mouth. My mouth had a mind of its own and it demanded to spill every thought that ever breached my mind. "Maybe if I was better, he would want-"

She quickly cupped my cheek, hushing me. "Don't say that, Larry!" She cooed. "I'm sure that things are better between you and your dad than you think they are. He really loves you."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a girl. We have special knowledge of these things."

I pried my eyes from her cute face and looked up at the black sky. Was there ever an end to this place? Was this void a room or an open expanse? If I stood and walked in a straight line, how long would it take me to reach a wall? A mile? Two? A thousand? Never? I closed my eyes again and engulfed myself in the darkness of my own head. "Dad wouldn't be proud of me right now," I muttered. "I killed a man."

A quick pain shot through my face.

I gasped, shooting my eyes open as I quickly sat up. I cradled my cheek in my hand. "Did you just slap me?" I demanded, cursing everything under the heavens on earth.

The girl didn't even try to play innocent. She said, "I did, but it's only because you're being an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!" I yelled.

Liechtenstein irritably sighed. "If you would stop to use reason, Larry, then you would realize that countries can't die," she said hotly. I dropped my hand as my mouth hung open. Alfred did tell me something about that, didn't he? She continued to send me a scowl, adding, "When a country 'dies', they go into a coma-like state for a few hours before waking up again. When they do, they typically have the same personality and memories, though they made have a different quirk. Denmark's going to be okay, Larry."

I stared at the ground, slowly comprehending what she was telling me. "So . . . he's not dead?"

She nearly groaned. Wow, I must really be an idiot if Liechtenstein of all people is losing her patience with me. "Yes. He's not dead."

The smallest of smiles appeared on my face. That maybe me feel a little better. In fact, everything today was making me feel better. Simply being able to release everything that had been pent up in my chest for so long was making my spirits soar. I felt clean- lighter than a feather. I looked up at her and evenly met her green eyes for the first time in a long time. "Thank you, Liech."

She smiled back at me, just as she started to fade away. "You're welcome, Larry."

And with that, I was falling

and falling

and falling

and falling

a

n

d

. . .

* * *

**THE WAR: Day Unknown**

A soft sob lured me from my sleep- coaxing, unyielding.

The darkness slipped away from me and my eyes opened. I knew right away that I was in my hammock once again. I could tell that sometime time had passed- bright, morning light streamed in from the windows -but I was unsure of how much. For a moment, I forgot about everything that had happened and simply stared at the ceiling as I gently brushed my fingers through Sokka's coat. It was so peaceful down here- the way the boat rocked my hammock like a crib. It was sort of like a lullaby, beckoning me back into Dreamland.

A small sniffle met my ears.

I hummed, rubbing my eyes as I turned to the source. There, seated right by my bed, was Alfred. He was hunched over himself, his hands over his face as his chest shook with near-silent tears. His broken glasses, I noticed, were sitting harmlessly on his lap.

I didn't think. I lifted my hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Alfred?" He shook his head and brushed me away. I started to retract my hand, thinking about how that would have been what I would want. But that was the me who hid behind a mask. That was the me who kept everything locked up inside of a bottle of Coke until some jerk came around with Mentos. Then, when every exploded, it would be a sticky, ugly mess.

Determinedly, I placed my hand back on his shoulder. My voice was firmer when I asked again, "Alfred? Are you-" He wordlessly yanked his shoulder away. My anxiety grew, but I kept it at bay. I knew what I needed to say. I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, saying, "I'm sorry, Alfred. I should have told you about Gilbert myself. I know that it was selfish of me, but I really think that-"

My mentor's glasses fell to the ground as he lunged forward. The words stopped dead in my mouth when he wrapped his arms around my neck. My whole body went rigid. Alfred buried his face in the crook of my neck and released a thick sob. "I'm scared," he cried, gripping my shirt in his hands. I could feel the tears on my skin and, by instinct, I wrapped my arm around him. "Holy fuck, Larry- I'm scared."

I nodded, feeling a new wave of tears well in my eyes. "I'm scared too," I whispered. "But look on the bright side, Denmark isn't dead. He'll live."

He shook his head. "No Larry, you don't understand," he said. Alfred pulled away as he looked up at me. Without his glasses his face appeared younger, like the kid he truly was. The whites of his eyes were red and a little snot dripped from his nose. He and I stared at each other for a long moment before he finally lowered his head again, staring at his lap. "All that with Denmark . . . all of it was a warning for me."

I knitted my eyebrows. "A warning?"

"Yeah." Dark specks appeared on his pants as a few more tears rained down from his eyes. "R-remember what Netherlands said right after Denmark . . ." Alfred pressed his lips and shook his thoughts out of his mind. "He said that I was going to be D-denmark." The blond snapped his head up at me and pounded a hand on his chest. "I'm going to die soon, Lar! Denmark had a watch just like mine! Netherlands was warning me that I was going to die soon unless we get the vial to Gilbert!"

"But why would they warn you?" I demanded. Alfred stared at me, taken back. I was being rude and insensitive (I know), but there was a puzzle piece that didn't fit the picture. "Don't get me wrong, Al- I know exactly what you mean," I quickly added, wiping the trail of tears off of my cheeks. "But I saw your argument with them a while ago- the one before I was captured by Belgium- and I'm sure that neither of them like you very much. So why would Netherlands find it necessary to stop mourning his best friend long enough to warn you? You saw how distraught he was . . ." My voice faded away the moment it hit me like a bullet.

I eased away from Alfred, letting my hands sit dumbly on my lap as my mouth stood wide open. Oh no. Alfred sniffled and waved his hand in front of my face. "Larry-"

"It makes sense now," I whispered.

"What does?" I quickly threw off my blankets, ignoring Sokka as it mewed in annoyance. Alfred gazed at me worriedly as I swung my legs over the side of my hammock, slipping my small and delicate feet back into my shiny black shoes. Alfred frowned, demanding "Larry, what is it?"

My head was on overboard. I shook out all of the extraneous thoughts as I reached over and plucked my cat into my arms. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" I asked, rising to my feet. Alfred swore as I started to make my way across the room. "It should have been so obvious. . ."

Alfred jumped from his seat, swooped down to grab his glasses, and raced after me. His hand caught my shoulder before I was able to place the first foot on the staircase out of there. A low growl rumbled in his tone as I asked, "What's the hell are you talking about?"

I was going to tell him everything, I just didn't know whether or not my suspicion was correct or not. I wanted to keep it locked away inside until I was absolutely sure what I was talking about. But I saw the pleading looking in Alfred's eyes and I knew that I couldn't keep quiet about this any longer.

Strengthening my own resolve, I closed my eyes and turned to face him. I took a few deep breaths, forming in my head the words I wanted to speak, the concepts I wanted to convey. I opened them again. "I might be wrong about this, but I think that Netherlands and Denmark are Erwin and Bud," I said.

* * *

**MW: **Oh wow, I started proofreading this chapter at one and someone it's three-thirty right now. The heat must be making me sluggish. Like at one point, I had to sit out in the hallway because it was cooler out there than in my room. If only my beta wasn't away in Europe right now . . .

Anyways, you have no idea how long I've been wanting to write this chapter. I have finally succeeded in executing my Denmark twist, explaining Larry's character fully, and dropping that little plot twist. And to think we have, like, five more chapters left (five I have to complete before mid-August when school returns).

So I hope you all enjoyed and please give a sick girl some love!

**Notes**

"What's PMS?" No, Agatha is not ignorant to the ways to puberty. This is merely a modern term and, therefore, she has no idea what it means.

"one time I had to stand on a ladder and pry it off of Sherry's bedroom window because the paperboy somehow stapled it there" I vaguely mentioned this same story in the epilogue of FG.

**Next Chapter: **Is Netherlands and Bud truly Bud and Erwin? How will Larry and Alfred ever be able to prove or disprove it?

**Thank you all for reading!**


	11. Who the Hell Let MoffatWrite This Shit?

**MW: **Hey guys. If you're still reading this, then welcome to the eleventh chapter. I would like thank **Hammsters **and **Devin Trinidad **for reviewing. Yeah, let's take an opportunity to just go over something real quickly.

Fanfiction is an entertainment industry. I write them because I want to entertain the people of this fandom. The only way I know if I'm doing my job right is if people tell me. The only way I know what people want is if they tell me. If I need to change something you don't like, I am not going to know unless you tell me. So please, if you're bored or confused or upset with a character or something, please tell me so that I can work on it. If I hear nothing, then I have no idea what the problem is, so I don't know what to fix and I feel trapped. Please tell me these things so that I can do my job, which is to make you guys happy, right.

Thank you and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Summary: **Larry and Alfred search for evidence of Netherlands and Denmark's guilt, but will things turn out for the better or worse?

**Warnings: **Strong language, Violence, Blood, Very mild yaoi, and Character death.

**Disclaimer: **Larry's ass is the only ass I own.

* * *

**~Chapter 11~**

**Who the Hell Let Motaff Write This Shit?**

"_I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go."_

**-From the American movie, "The Titanic"**

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 16**

I quickly added, "Or, at the very least, in legion with them." Saying it aloud only made it seem crazier. The boat continued to rock in the waves, the hammocks behind us swaying to its rhythm. I knew that it made sense when I thought about it, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Denmark was best friends with Alfred and the Netherlands saved my butt more than once. Why would they be working against us?

I watched with pity as Alfred's eyes went wide. "B-but how . . ." I could see the realization dawn on his face- the facts that I had previously ignored. He bowed his head, trying to shake the idea from him. "But they're both good people. Why would they?"

"I'm not sure, but think about it, Alfred,' I said. "The whole time I've been here, Denmark's been either harassing me or trying to tell me something. It's like he's been distracting me this whole time from Gilbert." I shook my head. This was crazy. "I'm not sure what Netherlands's deal is, but he's been linked to Denmark's side since the beginning. If one of them is in something fishy, then I'm sure the other is close behind." Alfred only continued to shake his head. "What?' I asked. "You don't believe me?"

"No Larry- I believe you, it's just . . ." He released a long, tense breath of air as he ran his hand through his hair. The boat's swaying seemed to increase with every second. A trick of the mind, I know, but it made me feel sick. I leaned against the wall by the staircase, watching Alfred as he said, "It just makes _too _much sense. I like both of them. I don't want them to be bad."

I reached out and placed it on his shoulder. "It's just a theory," I told him. "Most likely, it isn't true."

"It's more than just that." My mentor's frown grew tighter, the line becoming thinner and thinner. "You see, Lar, I never told you this but once when I went to the Room, Bud and Erwin told me something," he said. "They told me that all of this has happened before, but with a girl in another girl's body." My ears pricked. This happened before? Since when? "She was clueless to everything around her and therefore nearly lost her mentor's soul. The fact that you even have a theory is a sign- a good sign for me. It means that you're smarter, that you're paying attention." At last, he raised his face, revealing a soft smile. "That's why I swear that I'm going to trust you with this and the whole Gilbert thing. Because you're smart. Smarter than me. And I can trust you to not kill me and stuff."

For a moment, the only thing I could do was gape at him dumbly. He thought I was smart. He trusted me not to screw everything up for him. He believed in me. I could barely raise my voice above a whispered as I said, "Thanks, but . . ." I heisted. Eh, why not? "Why didn't you tell me about that story earlier?"

He grinned, almost back to his normal facade but not quite. "Because I knew that if you knew, you would compare yourself to the girl and think that if she could do it then there would be no reason for you not to and that would put more pressure on you, you know?"

I nodded. I did know. I knew that he was right. "You really did do your research on me." I smirked. I squeezed his shoulder, trying to look confident as I said, "But I swear, I'll do whatever it takes to save you."

His grin grew bigger. "Alright. What's first, captain?"

Crap! I forced my smile to stay on my face, but my panic was causing it to falter. Stupid- can he really just push all of the pressure on me all of the sudden? I didn't know what I was doing half of the time. How can I be expected to lead my mentor around? But he was giving me those stupid, innocent, puppy-dog eyes and I knew that I couldn't refuse. And besides, even though he was in an adult's body Alfred was still eleven. I didn't know _how _long he's been eleven, but either way I was still his elder. I had to lead him.

Plus, Sokka (the character, not my cat) was able to take up leadership of the Gaang for pretty much the exact same reasons. If he could do it, why not me? Taking a deep breath, I glanced up the stairs. "Alright, Alfred. First, we pretend we don't know anything about Denmark and Netherlands and just act normal. Second, we go check up on Denmark and see how he's been doing since he . . ." Even now, I still could not say it. The image of blood spilling from his lips sent made goose bumps climb up my arms. I swallowed and started up again. "And third, we try to figure out what is so special about Gilbert before we give him the vial. Understand?"

Alfred nodded happily. "Understand!"

I could help but to chuckled. What an idiot. "Let's go." I started to climb up the stairs, out of the sleeping chambers and into the dining hall. Gilbert's vial bounced in my pocket, pushing against the letter in my pocket. Balancing Sokka in one arm, I pulled He With Your Name's letter out of my pocket. Alfred whistled merrily, in his own little world as I unfolded the crisp page. The thick, black cursive struck a chord with me.

As a leader, I had to figure out who this guy was. Even though he's making my job harder, I had this strange sense that he was trying to help me at the same time. Alfred said that I was observant, right? That had to mean that the answer to this was lying around here somewhere, I just had to acknowledge it.

We reached the top step, entering Ukraine's kitchen. It was empty. A pot of stew was cooking on the stove and I spotted her abandoned knitting on the table. "Hold on. Let's rest here for a moment," I ordered. I placed Sokka on the ground before taking a seat on the bench. Alfred joined me from the other side and we placed our elbows on the table.

He watched inquisitively as I fiddled with the letter, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. "What's that?" He asked.

I abandoned my trail of thought to hand it over to him. "It's another letter from our little friend," I said. "I got it on the night you got mad at me."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," I said, waving him off. Secretly, I was still kind of pissed at him for it, but I knew better than to let that cloud my judgment. I _needed _him to be my friend. I needed just for _someone _to be at my side. "Anyways, Sokka kind of just gave it to . . ." I trailed off. Sokka. . . Sokka was an intelligent cat, the smartest I have ever seen. I would bet my brother's life that if I asked it . . .

I jumped from my chair with a loud _crash!_, lunging across the floor for my cat. Alfred snapped to his feet, swearing every vulgarity in the dictionary. "The hell- what are doing, Larry?" He demanded, watching as I wrapped my greedy hands around my cat's body. Sokka did not struggle as I pulled it back towards me, cradling it in my arms. "Were you trying to dodge a bullet or something?"

I shook my head, stroking my cat's back. Crossing my legs like a Native American, I explained, "Alfred, every time I get a letter from He With Your Name, Sokka is the messenger. And you have to admit that Sokka's smarter than the average cat, right?" Alfred nodded. "So, in theory, he can tell us who He With Your Name is."

He pointed a finger up like a teacher who knew too much. "One problem: Sokka can't speak human."

I bit my lip. Of course- that was a problem. But there had to be a way around it, right? I scratched my head, thinking of a solution. There had to be one. "Alright . . . " An idea popped into my head. I took my cat in my hands, holding it up by its armpits, and forced it to look at my face. "So Sokka, you're a smart cat, right?" I asked. Sokka meowed. Alfred looked at me with fascination. "I think we'll have to play the guessing game with you then. We say a name and you meows once for 'no' and twice for 'yes'."

"That's not going to work," Alfred piped.

"Not with that attitude." I placed Sokka on the ground in front of me. It sat on its butt, its tail swishing back and forth as its green eyes gazed up at me cutely. Man, I love cats. The blonde continued with his skeptical look, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot. I scowled. Time to prove him wrong. I clapped my hands together. "Okay, let's start with an easy question," I said. "Is the sky blue? Answer yes or no, Sokka."

My cat meowed twice.

I smirked, dancing my brows for Alfred. At first, it looked as though he was going to keep his visage, but I could see the corners of his mouth twitch, begging to form an enthusiastic grin. Victoriously, I looked down at Sokka, asking, "Is Alfred the hero?"

Again, it meowed twice.

"You know, it could be that two meows are his favorite thing right now," Alfred said. He lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs like mine. He placed his hands on his knees, looking at my cat through cracked specs. "Okay Sokka, I have a question for you," he said. "How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck can chuck wood?"

I resisted the urge to bang my head. "What the- that's not even a yes or no-"

Sokka meowed once.

Alfred nodded. "Okay. I'm convinced."

I clamped my mouth shut, looking between my yawning cat and satisfied friend. "You're not serious," I said. "All it took was that?"

He nudged my shoulder. "C'mon Lar! The cat doesn't have all day."

I could feel the vein pop out of my forehead, but there was no point in arguing. Sighing, I relaxed my shoulders and took my letter back from Alfred. "Okay, so first thing first-" Crap? What was the first thing?" "-Is to, um, figure out who might actually be He With Your Name."

Alfred scratched his chin. "So we're not gonna just list off every name of everyone on the ship?"

"No, we wouldn't have time." I pointed to the knitting on the table, saying, "Ukraine left that there. Chances are she'll come back for those soon or someone else will come down here looking for lemons or something. Neither of us need to be seen talking to a cat about some sort of conspiracy. And besides-" I flashed him a challenging smile. "-When has the hero ever guessed?"

He took the bait like a girl at a makeup kiosk. He puffed out his chest, wearing his best, sparkling Superman face. "Of course, the hero knows everything- he never has to guess!" He announced, placing his fists on his hips. "And luckily, my dear sidekick, I know the perfect way to narrow down the battlefield." He didn't wait for me to answer. "Those letters has to be sent by someone on this ship who can't risk talking to you for whatever reason."

I nodded. "Or can't get close enough to," I added. Alfred looked at me eagerly, waiting for me to finish the puzzle. I placed my hand on my chin, staring down at the ground below the cat's paws. "Of course, that really doesn't narrow down the selection," I told him. "But we'll start with the obvious. So who couldn't talk to me?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my journal. Luckily, no one took out the stub of a pencil that I hid in the pages. I flipped to a random page and scribbled down the name of every crew member. Then, one by one, I started crossing them out. "Can't be you . . . no reason to hide . . . always have alone time in morning . . ."

Somehow, I narrowed it down to three names. I placed my pencil between the pages, asking, "Sokka, did Denmark give you the letters?"

Alfred looked at me, confused. "Denmark?" I didn't blame him. I mean, minutes ago I was raving about how he could be the bad guy.

"I never let him close enough to talk to me," I explained. "And the contents of the letter could be exactly what he wanted to discuss. Plus he was in the dungeon for most of my time here. He would have to use Sokka to pass on his message."

I thought that it was a pretty solid theory, but Sokka only meowed once.

I tried not to groan. "Okay, okay—" I peered back down at my book. "Is it Russia?"

One meow.

"Belarus?"

Uno meow.

I frowned. Well there goes my three guesses. I admit, my Russia and Belarus arguments were a bit more flimsy than my Denmark one. It was based solely on the idea that they wouldn't want to crew to realize that there was a scandal among their leaders. I should have known it was false, though. I mean, they are the subjects of the letters after all. Falling in love with them . . .

Alfred sighed. "Damn it, this is hard," he complained. "I mean, no one on this stupid boat looks slightly suspicious enough to do something like this, well except Denmark and Netherlands but that's different."

"On this boat . . ." It suddenly hit me, quicker and less painful than a paintball bullet. I jumped forward, leaning into my cat. "Okay Sokka, last one. The person who gave you the letters was Spain, wasn't it?"

Sokka seemed to brighten considerably, meowing like crazy as it pawed at my leg. I grinned dumbly and laughed like a maniac. "I knew it!" I yelled, scooping the pet into my arms. "It's Spain!"

My friend could only look at us with utter disbelief. "But Spain's not even on this ship!" He said quickly. "No one knows where he is!"

"Maybe that's why he has to communicate with me with letters," I said, speaking over Sokka's ruckus. It didn't seem like it was going to stop soon. I guess it was as happy about this realization as I was. "Because he can't get close enough?"

Alfred opened his mouth, ready to snap something back when nothing left his mouth. He looked down at himself, surprised at his lack of words. It was probably the first time in his life he has ever been speechless. He closed his mouth, his eyes shining with defeat. Then he finally used his brain. "Well, I guess he could have your name," he muttered. "Netherlands called Denmark 'Mathias' so maybe someone has called him 'Larry' at some point or other . . ."

"I'll go get it right now!"

Alfred and I exchanged looks. "That sounded a lot like Agatha," I said just as a pair of feet started to pound on the steps to the deck. "Who is coming downstairs to us right now- crap!" Alfred and I both jumped to our feet, scrambling to look normal. I placed Sokka back on the ground and rushed to my seat at the table as Alfred ran with inhuman speed to a crate. He tossed me a lemon before return to the table with his own.

By the time Agatha's redhead appeared in the room, we were munching away at the sour fruit, pretending to be absorbed in a conversation. Alfred stuffed his mouth, miraculously talking without choking. "I'm telling you, Liech," he said. "Shea butter is amazing."

I frowned. Ugh, shea butter. My sister was obsessed with that stuff. She claimed that while she had no idea what it was exactly, she still made sure that it was in every product she ever buys. Like in her purse at the hospital, there was a small Bath and Body Works bottle of shea butter hand lotion. Sometimes when she gets very stressed, I noticed, she will squirt some of it into her hands and mutter incoherent reassurances to herself. I pursed my lips, trying to rid myself of the sour taste in my mouth. I snapped, "And I'm telling you that shea butter sucks."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT SHEA BUTTER?" The next thing I knew, Agatha was perched on top of the table, her face right in mine. "Shea butter is the greatest shit that has ever existed," she declared, breaking my ear drums. I slapped my hands over them, swearing to myself. Remind me why this girl really isn't my sister again? "Shea butter can condition your hair, take care of blemishes, moisturized your skin, act as sunscreen-"

"Do they even have sunscreen back in the pirate days?" I demanded.

Agatha blinked, her light blue eyes shining with her confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, lifting herself upright. I placed my face in my hand and groaned, quickly ordering her to forget it. She scowled. "I'm always left out of the loop," she muttered, sliding off of the table. "First Turkey and now you- oh, Liechtenstein?" I hummed. "Captain Russia's looking for you."

I rolled my head back. "Ugh, really?" I groaned. "Did I do something wrong again?"

"Not that I know of, but he was making it sound really urgent."

"_I don't have time for this," _I thought, glaring at the table. "_Alfred's time's running out and I need to figure that out first before I go figuring out Liechtenstein's love life." _I looked up. Alfred himself was giving me a look that silently told me to get my butt moving. He and I both knew that as much as we hated the idea we still had to act natural, even if a cat tells us that two personified countries currently hold the key to Alfred and Stella's lives.

I sighed, sliding out of my chair. "Alright, alright- I'll go talk to him," I said. Sokka immediately sprang for my legs, taking the opportunity to paw at them and meow loudly. I ignored it, instead placing my focus on my not-sister. "Is there another reason why you're down here?" I asked.

I watched as her face dropped. "Oh shit, the knitting!" Agatha belly-flopped onto the table, reaching out for the pink yarn. I could not help but to chuckle. Times like this I missed Sherry's immaturity. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and started off. I did not ignore Alfred when he gave me a passing- comforting -pat on the back. It relaxed my back.

For what felt like the billionth time, I climbed up the stairs and into the morning sun. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air was salty, but clean. Its crispness made me feel pure, like a child fresh out of baptism. I smiled to myself. Act natural: I could do that. I may have messed up in nearly all other aspects of my life, but I was positive that I could do this.

"Liechtenstein?"

And like that, my tranquility was gone.

I yelped, jumping a mile when the Netherlands approached me, saying my name with panic brevity. I placed a hand on my breast, feeling my heart jump erratically. My blood was on fire. It was hard to tell through my wide eyes whether the Dutchman could sense my panic. In fact, I thought he looked more edgy than I was. His green eyes were frantically darting to every corner of _The Romanov _as he incessantly wiped his hands on his pants.

I grinded my teeth. Natural, Larry. You have to act _natural. "_Hey Netherlands," I said, trying to sound cheerful while an obviously fake smile painted my face. "What's up with you?"

My bad feeling was confirmed when the Netherlands gave a leery look between me and the rest of the unknowing crew. When he was sure that no one was paying either of us any attention, he drew his mouth into a tight frown and leaned in. I took a small step back, afraid of what evil he'll commit, but he only whispered, "Look Liech, I know that you're probably in a hurry but we need to talk. Now."

I wanted to flee. I wanted to retreat below deck and hide myself behind Alfred. I didn't care what I did- I just wanted to get away from him. That was the probably with ships, I guess. There was nowhere to run on them. The only escape was in the ocean. I shook my head, making an 'x' with my arms. Fleeing was something I couldn't do, but I could escape to the safety of my captain's quarters. "Sorry," I said, pushing past him. Why can't walking calmly be faster? "But Russia kind of wants to talk to me, so if you'll just excuse me-"

The Netherlands grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. I stumbled a few paces back, but I refused to move any more than that- nonetheless, look at him. If this was a game of will than I was sure as heck going to win at it. The man growled, "We _need_ to talk now, Liechtenstein."

I finally turned back to him. The anger in his face matched the anger radiating in his voice. His brows were furrowed in such a way it made his veins jut out of his forehead. For some reason, that only made me want to ball my fist and punch him until he bled. But that wasn't natural and I had to be more organic than fruit. I tried twisting my arm at odd angles, trying to yank it free. "Let go of me!" I demanded loudly. I looked behind myself, catching a small glance of Turkey and Switzerland. They were talking to each other, completely absorbed in their conversation. If only I could get one of their attentions. "I said no!"

"This is about Denmark," the blonde snapped.

"I said no," I repeated. I craned my neck back, yelling, "Big Brother!"

"Listen to me, Larry!"

I stopped dead.

My mouth fell open. Sweat trickled down my neck and back. My hair was all over the place—whatever didn't stick out of my head like yellow horns was frizzing unmercifully. My blood turned cold, consuming my body with trepidation. I couldn't raise my head- I couldn't look at the man. He just . . did that mean . . . "Why do you know that name?" I whispered.

_Bang~!_

Before the Netherlands could reply, Switzerland fired off his gun as he ran to my rescue. He grabbed the Dutch's shirt collar, ramming him unmercifully into the rails. "What the hell are you doing to my little sister?" Switzerland growled, jamming the hot barrel of his gun under the Netherlands's chin.

He frowned thickly, growling, "I'm not doing anything." He was promptly banged into the rails again.

Switzerland's face turned to a dark shade of crimson as he yelled, "Yes you were!"

By now, the whole crew was staring, wondering what could have possibly pissed Switzerland off this time. I didn't notice. I stood in the same spot, petrified. I felt cold, yet I couldn't even shiver in fear. My head was on overload, trying to process what had just happened. "_I was right?" _I wondered, staring down at my black shoes. Sokka was at my legs, meowing as it pawed my shins. "_Is Netherlands really . . ." _

A hand landed on my shoulder. "Are you alright, Liech?" Turkey asked, looking down at me with concern amber eyes. "You seem kind of shaken."

I blinked. Wait. I had to act natural, didn't I?

I snapped back to my senses, trying to laugh casually as I scratched the back of my neck. "What do you mean?" I asked quickly. It was evident that I asked it too quickly since Turkey raised a suspicious, unconvinced, eyebrow. I mentally swore. "_Damnit! Stella makes acting look so easy. . ." _I waved my hands in front of myself, saying, "I mean, I was scared, but I'm alright now."

If I had to admit one thing, it was that Turkey was sharp. His continued to look at me critically, debating with himself whether he should press further or not. But as the Netherlands continued to deny his charges, Turkey finally sighed. "Alright then . . . Russia's asking for you," he said. Did gossip travel fast here or was this part of a ship wide announcement that I was left out of? "If you feel up to it, you should probably go see him now."

I felt like a Pokemon character: right after some important plot point happens, some random NPC directs me back to my current mission. "I'll do that now," I grimaced.

Turkey smiled, placing an arm around my shoulder. He said, "Here, I'll escort you."

I thought about pushing him away, but I decided against it. I thought that at that point, Turkey has done more than enough to make up for all of those perverted incidents back then. I mean, he got himself captured by the Red Coats while protecting Agatha. That had to count for something. I let him guide me across the deck, weaving me around the converging crew members who wanted nothing more than a good show. I noticed Belarus was up in the crow's nest, most likely relieving Hong Kong for a while. She looked pissed. Whether it was at me or the Netherlands, I didn't know.

Still, I wanted to help her, I just didn't have the time. I had to go get Russia out of my hair first and then find a quiet place to tell Alfred about what just happened, because the Netherlands really is Bud or Erwin. How else would he know my name?

When we reached the door to the captain's quarters, I thanked Turkey before shooing him away. Throwing my courage to the sticking place, I cracked my neck and knocked on the door. "Come in, Liechtenstein!" Russia called. "The door's open!" I couldn't help but be confused. Did he really know that I was the one out here or was it simply a lucky guess?

Russia's room looked like it always has. Same regal air, same glittering trinkets. But as I watched Russia rise from his large desk at the window to greet me, I noticed one major difference. There, in his bed, was Denmark.

All sense left me as my feet automatically ran to his side. I felt my heart fight against my ribs as I knelt by the bed, taking hold of his sweaty hand. Denmark wasn't awake. He was asleep, breathing with difficulty with a flush face. His forehead was hidden under a wet towel, water droplets mingling with sweat. He was sick, very sick. I felt my heart break as I placed my forehead on the mattress. "Oh God," I whispered. A vague corner of my head reminded me that he was obviously the enemy, but I ignored it.

Denmark looked like he was in so much pain.

Russia stood off to the side awkwardly, reaching his hand out to me before quickly snapping it back to his side. I could tell by the way he shyly bit his lip that he had no idea what to do. People and their emotion weren't necessarily his area of expertise. I watched him as he sighed, looking away from me. "Whatever killed him earlier is healed now," he told me bluntly. "But instead of waking up, he developed a fever. No one knows what to do. This has never happened before."

I nodded, embracing the reality and reveling in the feeling of Sokka stroking himself against my hip. A part of me felt shameful for showing such weakness so quickly, but I told it to shut up. Slowly, I rose to my feet. "I understand," I said, turning my back to the sick man. "Thank you Russia for being truthful with me."

Russia stared at me, as if not believing what he had just heard. After the story Belarus told me, I could imagine the victory going on in his head. At last, someone was treating him kindly! "You're welcome, Liechtenstein." Russia straightened his back and raised his chin, trying to regain his lost composure. "But how are you, Liechtenstein?" He asked. "You were out for a day."

I shrugged, chuckling anxiously. "Oh, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He asked, taking a large step towards me. Even though my current relationship the people I have trust was falling apart (didn't Netherlands bargain with England to get Gilbert and Turkey home? Why would my enemy do that?), I felt confident in my relationship with Russia. He's one of the few people on this bloody boat who's listened to what I've said and taken it to heart. I told him that I didn't like one thing and he never did it again. "You fainted from shock, didn't you?"

I watched him come closer, not feeling the slightest amount of fear. "I did, but you really shouldn't-" Russia wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to his chest. I paused, realizing that the thumping in my ear was his heart. Why was his heart beating so fast? Nonetheless, why was Russia holding me? Somehow, I found the guts (even if I was speaking much softer) to finish my statement. "Worry about me."

Russia shook his head, hunching into me. The giant pressed his face into the crook of my neck, saying, "But I do worry about you. I worry about you every day, every minute, every second." He held me even tighter. "I can't stop worrying about you, Liechtenstein. I can't get your voice out of my head. Why is that?"

I couldn't tell if it was his words or his grip that was making me breathless. "You-"

"I've just been so afraid lately," he told me. "I've just been so afraid that I'm dreaming and that I'm going to wake up and find out that you hate me, just like everyone else. Promise that you wouldn't leave me, Liechtenstein. Promise me."

I didn't know what to do. This was so obviously a love confession and my mind was drawing a blank. What was I supposed to do? Lie and say 'yes I love you too' or tell the truth and say 'no I only pity you'. Should I shoot him down bluntly or try to beat around the bush kindly? Now that I think about it, this is probably one of the reasons why Tamara broke up with me: I have no idea what the heck I am doing half of the time.

At last, Russia pulled away. His warm, oversized hands cupped my cheeks as he swept right into my face. His nose barely touched mine as his violet eyes looked at me with hope and longing. "I love you, Liechtenstein," he confessed softly. "I don't think that I can live without you. Please- _please _tell me that you feel the same." He leaned in.

Some natural, animalistic instinct kicked in. Even though I had no idea what I should do, what the nicest thing to do was, or how this would affect either of us, I turned my head. I winced as Russia's lips landed on my cheek. Okay, being kissed by another dude definitely equals gross.

Russia immediately realized what happened and pulled away. His face- oh his face was heart breaking. All of the ardent love he held for me was crumbling away into despair. Yet, he tried to keep his smile. He tried to grin happily as he looked down at me with worried eyes. "I guess I was moving too fast for you then?" He asked hopefully, in denial. I kept my mouth shut. I didn't trust myself to say the right thing. His hands started to shake at his sides as two trails of silent tears fell down the sides of his face. "But you love me too, Liechtenstein. Don't you?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I looked down at the floor. "Russia, I-"

There was a loud banging on the floor. "Russia!" A second later, the door flew open, revealing a frantic Ukraine. Her face was flushed and her hair was everywhere. She held her knitting was in her hand as she looked with wide eyes at her little brother's broad back. "Russia, Belarus is calling for you," she said quickly. "She says that it's important."

I watched as Russia closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "I understand," he said. I could not help but to shrink away. His voice was like a cold, empty void. There was no amount of emotions in there, only the professional facade of a man made of rock. He wiped the tears from his face, looking straight ahead as he flicked the cuffs of his coat. Without giving me a second glance, he turned to his sister, saying, "By important, do you believe that it's important to the safety of my crew or to the vitally of winning THE WAR?"

Ukraine looked at her brother oddly, realizing quite well what his demeanor meant. I couldn't help but to wish that Sherry had that kind of a sisterly instinct. "Are you sure you want to talk to her now?" She asked, rushing to block the doorway with her body. "I mean, I think that you might need a few moments to compose-"

Russia shoved her out of the way, disregarding the kind of pain he could inflict upon her. She was rammed into the door, gasping as she slid to the floor. Her knitting slid across the floor, the pink yarn of ball unraveling as it rolled away. He sneered, "I am the captain of this ship, Ukraine. You are not. You have no right to order me around as such."

His sister sat on the ground, nodding as she sniffled quietly. "I understand."

He stepped over her, pulling out his pipe as he went. "Good. Now don't forget it."

When he was gone, the ends of his brown coat that fluttered behind him long gone, Ukraine pulled her handkerchief out from her skirt pocket and wiped her nose. She sniffled a few times, looking up at me with the kind of hurt only family could inflict. "What did you say to him?" She asked. Her voice was low and dangerous, like a mama bear protecting her cubs. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. "Liechtenstein, what did you say?"

I threw my hands into the air. "I didn't say anything!" I said. "He just got all upset-"

"You know what happened to my brother." I jumped. Since when did Ukraine _snap _at people and with such vicious poison as well? Ukraine dabbed away the rest of her tears before rising to her feet. I rushed to help her, but she just brushed me aside and used the doorframe to support herself. "I'm fine, thanks. But my brother is upset. Do you know what happens to someone when they're in constant pain?" Ukraine asked. She didn't wait for me to answer. "They get desperate. I haven't seen this much pain on his face in years. You better fix this Liechtenstein before he hurts himself again."

Frustration boiled in my blood. If I knew one thing, it was that this could not and would not be blamed on me. "All I did was say that I didn't love him!" I snapped harshly. "How is that such a bad thing?"

"It's not. But this is a war and in wars, people die if they aren't in their best of shapes. If Belarus really is going to tell Russia that he has to prepare the ship for battle, then he's guaranteed to die unless you can give him a reason to live again. Just for a day."

"Even if he dies, he's bound to come back, remember?"

She stretched her hand to the feverish man in the bed. "That's what they said about Denmark," she practically yelled. "And look where he is! Take pity Liechtenstein and just pretend! For his sake-"

That was the last straw. "That's all I've been doing!" Ukraine took a step back, her the color draining from her face. My volume frightened her- that much I could tell, but I didn't care. "The whole time I've been here, I've been nothing but everyone's tool! Do this, feel this, believe that- I'm sick of it!" I placed a hand on my chest, saying, "Believe it or not but I'm Lar- Liechtenstein! I'm my own person and I make my own decisions. Don't blame your screw ups as a sister on me." With that, I pushed aside her, storming onto the deck.

I tried not to be bugged by the terrified gleam in her eyes.

The crew, for the most part, was so absorbed in what Russia and Belarus (now on the ground) were discussing that nearly no one noticed my argument with Ukraine. I say _nearly _since there was one familiar head of white hair that came trotting from the crowd up to me. "What the hell was that about?" Gilbert demanded, looking down at me with worried eyes. "You look really upset."

I shook my head. There was a painful buzz in my chest and I felt light headed, but what else could I do but ignore it? "It's fine, Gilbert. But-" I looked around him, double checking my surroundings. "-Have you seen either Netherlands or Alfred around here?" I asked.

I cursed my luck when he shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "But Switzerland and Turkey had to take Netherlands below deck for some unawesome reason and Alfred's been, well, Alfred." His ears perked at something someone said behind him, causing him to glance around to check. "Sounds as though they're arguing," he told me, face drawn. Sure enough, Russia and Belarus looked at each other with equal frustration, snapping quick words at each other as they pointed at an old map.

Gilbert and I exchanged a look before he silently stepped aside, letting me get a better view of the situation. Russia was glaring down at his sister with hard eyes, mouth twitching from anger. "This will be the perfect time to attack England and you know it," he said harshly. "Order our comrades to take up arms and get into offensive position now, sister."

To my amazement, she fiercely shook her head. "I have a bad feeling about this," she said. "Every time we've gone against England, he's always used an invisibility spell to cloak his ship. This reeks of an ambush, Russia."

I opened my mouth with realization. Belarus must have seen _The Oberon _in the distance and needed to consult her brother about an attack. Surprisingly, I had to agree with Belarus on this one. England had a pattern and- even if I could see the white sails plain on the horizon as plain as day -he was not likely to break it.

Our captain curled his upper lip. "I gave an order, Belarus," he growled dangerously. "I expect you to follow it."

She returned the visage of hate. "I do not recommend this course of action," she returned evenly.

His face grew dark. "Is this munity?"

For a second, it looked as though Belarus had one last objection to make. But she bit her lip, looking down at the ground with defeat. She stayed that way for a long moment. The crew continued to give her pleading looks, begging her to defend them against Russia's insanity. No one wanted to die, especially with what Denmark was going through. At last, she snapped her head to her fellows. "You heard your captain," she barked, radiating power as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Battle stations, now. Hong Kong, get yourself into that crow's nest and report all enemy movements to either me or our captain. Switzerland, Greece- you two man the cannons. Everyone else, grab your weapons and prepare yourselves for battle."

Gilbert shook his head as he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way of the dispersing crew. "Is he nuts?" he demanded loudly. "Is Russia just trying to get us killed?"

"At least you guys will come back," I said shakingly. Anxiety was wrapping her terrible arms around my slim shoulders, whispering fears and truths into my ear. A shiver inched down my spine at the thought of battle- the clashing of swords, the roars of guns, the splatter of blood. Before, I had the red arm band to protect me from the fighting, but now that I was an official Brown Coat, I was officially drafted into service. I crossed my arms over my chest, a vain attempt to hold myself. "I have no idea if I'll even live through this."

The Prussian looked down at me, his face softened. He knelt down to my height, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Larry," he said, giving me his cocky grin. "The awesomeness that is me will protect you."

I grimaced. "Thanks. Sorry I'm such a whimp."

Before he could reply, one that I was sure was going to be a reassurance of my manliness, Belarus came stopping over to me. "Liechtenstein!" I flinched, bracing myself for the lecture she was bound to give me. I didn't know exactly what the lecture was going to be about, but I knew that she would find some flaw to complain about. But just as I turned to greet her, Belarus was taking my hand and pressing something in my palm.

I looked down, uncurling my fist to reveal two throwing knives. My heart skipped a beat. Or four.

I looked up, questions dripping on the tip of my tongue, but found myself speechless nonetheless. At last, I could see it. I could finally see it: the real Belarus. I could finally see that beneath her hard, critical layer was a kindness. A worry. Behind the venomous glint in her eyes was a caring young woman. Belarus ignored my awe as she scowled at me, saying, "These are to be used to protect yourself only. I don't want you fighting anyone. Your orders, Liechtenstein, is to find a quiet corner of the ship and hide there until this battle is over, understand?"

I nodded dumbly. When I only stared at her with large eyes, she started to walk away. I found my voice. "Thank you, Belarus."

She didn't stop, only continued her march. "Don't thank me yet."

Gilbert and I watched her go, both of us absorbed in our own admiration for her. "She's kickass," my albino friend whispered, whistling in approval.

I nodded, shoving the knives into my pocket. When will she ever stop surprising me? "Agreed."

The next twenty minutes were spent gathering sword and guns and other kinds of weaponry. Gilbert helped me search for a quiet place to hide and we evidently decided on the dungeon. We had no one in chains down there, so there would be no reason for any of the Red Coats to go down those stairs. My other option was the sleeping chambers, but that was where the Netherlands was resting (he, apparently, fell asleep promptly after Switzerland finished grilling him) and that definitely was not a good idea. Not yet. "_I have to find Alfred," _I thought determinedly as I insisted on following Gilbert back to above deck. I told him that I would hide when the actual fighting starts, but until then I needed to find my friend. I needed to warn him about the Netherlands.

When we reached the top step, I was immediately greeted with a sight that I haven't seen in a long time. And by that, I meant that Turkey and Agatha were arguing. "For the last time- Wait in the captain's quarters until it's safe!" Turkey ordered, holding her hand as he tried to drag her away. But my sister's dear doppelganger kept hold of the rail, refusing to budge. He groaned, looking ready to pull out one of his double swords and cut off her arms. "Goddamnit, Agatha! Would you just listen to me for once?"

She shook her head, her eyes red from unshed tears. "No! I want to stay with you!" She yelled. He pulled at her again. "Turkey!" I pinched the bridge of my nose, muttering as many insults I could think of. She was a shame to the Sue name. Thank goodness she wasn't even a real Sue.

Turkey groaned, smacking his forehead. "Oh my fucking God, Agatha!"

"Oh my God, that must be, like, a total pain." All four of us froze. Seemingly out of thin air, Poland appeared at Agatha's side, leaning into the rail as he twirled a lock of his hair boredly. We all glared at the red band on his arm. Inside, however, I was freaking out. He was the enemy—how did he get here? How long until the others arrive? "Seriously, Turks," he said. "How do you, like, deal with that?"

Gilbert growled, roughly grabbing Poland by the collar of his shirt. He banged him against the rails, flashing his fangs as he sneered, "How the hell did you get here?"

Poland didn't even bat an eyelid. No, he only shrugged carelessly, saying, "With, like, mad skills and stuff."

I turned to the opposite side of the boat, seeing _The Oberon _still looming on the horizon. "But your ship is so far away," I whispered quietly. " You'll have to be a really good swimmer, unless . . ." It finally clicked. "It's a trap!" I yelled. My feet moved on their own accord, racing to the nearest superior. "It's an ambush-"

The next thing I knew, I was ducking for cover, hiding my face and covering my ears as the captain's quarters burst into flames. A loud _boom! _shattered the air, leaving a piercing ring in my ears. I placed a hand on my head, wincing when the ringing intensified. It blocked out the rest of my hearing, muting the screams and yells around me. I looked up. A fourth of our vessel was in flames, including the passage to below deck. Half of our crew laid sprawled on the ground, most injured, a few not moving. Those who were moving were burnt, their clothes still aflame as their toasted skin smoked. I blinked a few times, trying to process what this all meant.

Then it hit me.

"No." My voice croaked as I reached out to the heat, wincing at the intensity. The ringing wouldn't stop. "Denmark's still in there!" Gilbert threw Poland aside, racing to my side. He lifted me over his shoulder, ignoring my protest as I banged my fists on his back and kicked my legs into his chest. "Let me go!" I cried hoarsely. "Denmark's still in there, he's-"

"He's a lost cause now," Gilbert snapped. His voice was a mere muffle in my screwed up eardrums. He returned us to our original position. Agatha was no longer holding the rail and Turkey was no longer pulling her along. They both stared in equal shock, stunned into silence. They were still holding hands. Poland, meanwhile, was lounged on a crate, idly picking at his nails. Gilbert looked ready to strangle him, but since he was still holding me, the albino had to make do with a cold glare. "What the hell was that?"

Poland shrugged. "Some kind of explosion or something," he said carelessly. "We haven't even, like, gotten to the best part yet."

Turkey's eyes went wider. "There's a 'best part'?"

He nodded eagerly. "Like totes. It should be starting in, like, three, two-"

The ringing left my ears as a dark figure appeared in the fire. My panicking crewmates paused, focusing their attention away from their dead comrades as the figure stepped out of the fire, revealing himself to be no other than England. His red coat fluttered around him as the ashes settled in the air. He was unaffected by the flames, smirking at our horrified expressions. "Sorry for the mess," he said cockily. "But I wanted a grand entrance."

I watched as Russia took a step forward , cracking his neck as he tapped his pipe on the ground. "Ah, there you are, England," he said, grinning a cold, childish smile. "I was wondering where you were. Though-" He stopped, barely a foot from the Red Coat. "It was foolish of you to come without a crew."

England threw his head back in a hearty laugh. It made all of our hearts drop into a sick feeling. "Do you take me to be an idiot, Russia?" He asked, grinning like a madman. His acid eyes gave a side glance, a signal for his crew to come out of hiding. One by one, the pirates with red armbands appeared in the open, some standing on the rails, others mingling in the crowd. "Of course I wouldn't come alone."

For a moment, no one dared to move.

Stillness . . .

Russia swung his pipe and all hell broke loose. All around me, people began to fight- throwing punches, firing guns, swinging blades. England and Russia danced by the flames, their long coats creating monster-like silhouettes against the light. I saw Belarus fearlessly duel France, though she only had her daggers and he had a rapier. Seychelles and a soot covered Netherlands fought each other with swords at the other end of the deck. Poland dashed right through us, sticking out his tongue until he knocked into Hong Kong. Then he was rolling to the side, dodging a martial arts kick, cursing his stupidity for not bringing his gun.

Turkey raised his sword, pulling Agatha behind him. "Agatha, I need you to let go of my hand," he told her, zoning his eyes in on the fight before him. "I need to use both of my swords."

She shook her head pressing her face into his arm. "Please," she begged, tears spilling down her cheeks. Her knees were shaking, knocking into one another. "Never let go. Please."

Gilbert placed me down on the ground, drawing his own sword from its sheath. "No worries, lover boy," he said as he rolled his shoulder and pumped his blood. "The awesome me will help protect you."

I scrambled to pull out my two knives. "And so will I," I announced, pulling myself into the stance Belarus taught me. Deep down, I still didn't want to fight. I wanted to curl up and cry about the battle. But it was time I raised my chin and fight for what I wanted to protect. I had to protect my sister. I had to protect my friends.

But Gilbert only shook his head. "No you wouldn't, Liech," he ordered sternly. He looked the most serious I've ever seen him. The most stressed out as well- sweat was already brimming along his hairline. "You go find Switzerland- he'll protect you."

Turkey shook his head. "Switzy and Greece were down in the canon room," he told us quietly. "And the fire is blocking the stairs below. They're suck down there."

I gave him an odd look. "_But then how did Netherlands get back onto deck?" _I wondered. I looked back to said man, witnessing him kick Seychelles away long enough to turn and defend himself from Belgium. "_Oh wait, he's covered in soot. Maybe he ran through the flames-"_

Gilbert took a step in front of me, blocking my view of the fight. "You don't want to see any of this," he said hastily. "People are getting hurt."

"This is a war," I shouted, pushing him away. "Of course people are-"

The Netherlands was being overpowered. Beyond the dance of Belarus and France, the duel of Russia and England, my enemy was being overpowered by Seychelles and Belgium. Not only was he trying to avoid the smaller's rapier, but he also had to worry about the Belgian's axe. I could see him wear down, trying to hold both weapon out of his face with his sword. Both of their girls were putting in all of their weight, making him collapse onto his knees.

If they defeated him, then it would be a blessing for me, right?

So why did I find myself shouting as I quickly dashed to his aide. I pushed aside the dark haired man Estonia was fighting and ducked beneath Hong Kong's side kick. I ran fast as I could through the crowd, trying to make it in-

I yelped, jumping to the side as a sword nicked my arm. I fell into kneeling position, grinding my teeth through the pain. Jesus Freacking- that felt the same as when Jerry nearly cut off my thumb! I had a second longer to reminisce in my pain before realizing that a sword was coming down upon me. I swore, rolling to the side just as the blade stabbed right where I used to be. I quickly scrambled to my feet, looking at my opponent for the first time.

"H-holy Rome?" I panted, raising my two knives. The teenager nodded laconically, raising his sword for another swing. I swore, quickly drawing my feet into position. He jabbed his sword straight at my stomach, causing me to spin out of the way. I was stumbling over my feet. Fighting was like dancing and I've always had two left feet. I gripped my knives tighter.

I was going to die unless I did something.

Holy Rome swung again and I jumped back. Taking a step forward, he raised his sword high and brought it down. I raised my knives, the blades forming an 'X' above my head. Luckily, they caught the sword blade, though the weight made my knees bent. I grunted. My legs were shaking under the weight. Damnit. . .

Suddenly, the sky grew dark. Holy Rome relieved his pressure for a moment, taking a hand off of the sword hilt for a moment to brush his blond locks out of his face. He looked up to look up at the gathering clouds, not realizing that I was straightening my legs and finding a more solid stance. A storm, one I noticed Russia was stirring with the power of his coat, was starting. Rain fell from the sky like a waterfall, drenching us in a matter of seconds. There was no wind, therefore the waves did not rise in large billows, but the sky flashed in white claps of lightning.

With the first roll of thunder, I finally smarten up. I took a deep breath and, without warning, pushing the sword away with all of my might. Holy Rome pulled away, looking at me with shock, realizing his mistake. Without another thought, I mimicked the stance Belarus showed me and threw a knife at Holy Rome. I was aiming for his right shoulder- a place where he can be injured and not died, but he dodged it. He quickly brought his sword high into the air again, ready to slice me into to. I threw the other knife. The blade embedded itself in his abdominal. I watched as, very slowly, Holy Rome dropped his sword. It landed on the ground with a loud _clang!, _echoing in my ears. He coughed, placing his hands around the weapon before falling to the ground.

I was stunned.

I could not move.

I reminded myself to breathe.

In.

And out.

Breathe.

Numbly, I reached down and pulled out my weapon. Blood appeared on my hands. It was warm and sticky. I tried wiping it on my pants, but it was stuck like glue. My lungs ached. I told myself to breathe.

You just killed a man, Larry. You are officially a murder. Would Dad want you to have killed someone? Was this what you wanted?

"No," I whispered.

Then why did you do it?

My dirty hands were shaking. Even the rain couldn't wipe away what I had done.

A screamed pierced through the air.

My senses turned back on and I could suddenly feel the world around me again. Everyone was still fighting. A few laid on the ground, seriously injured or dead. Belarus stood still, her eyes wide as she ignored her opponent to stare at a sight. She screamed again. "Russia!"

I followed her eyes.

I wish I hadn't.

The two silhouettes at the fire had stopped fighting. The larger one was on his knees, his hands at his stomach where a sword was driven. The slimmer one dared to stand above him, his hand around the hilt. This time, I screamed. "No!" Anger I never knew I possessed boiled inside of me. My vision became blurred as I raised my knife and started running towards England, but I didn't care. I swooped down and grabbed my other knife as I went. I couldn't let this happen to Russia, I-

Belarus shoved me to the ground, jumping over me as she herself took on my mission. I peeled my face off of the wood deck just in time to see Belarus slide to the ground and kick England in the stomach. He fell back, releasing his weapon. I scrambled back to my feet just as she pulled Russia's coat off of him.

Besides that, she ignored him entirely.

The rain made the world too cold.

He really was dead.

England shot up to sitting position, his eyes searching for the first mate. When he saw her already on the other side of the deck, slipping her arms into the coat sleeves, he cupped his mouth and yelled, "Poland, set off the next round!"

The next round?

"Shit!" I turned, sliding in the water as I tried to run. If I was right, then . . .

The bomb went off.

I felt myself fly across the air, hearing a few muffled sounds before being engulfed in water.

I didn't try to hold my breath. I didn't scream. I didn't kick. I didn't try to swim. I was sinking deeper and deeper into the dark depths. Above me, I could see scraps of wood, crates, bodies, _everything _fall into the cold depths.

I didn't care.

I could feel the salt sting my wounds. I hadn't even realized that I was cut until I looked at my hand and saw splinters sticking out of my skin. Maybe that was why I couldn't feel my legs. My lungs started to ache. I sunk deeper and deeper.

I was going to die here, wasn't I? I was going to drown before I could ever save Stella. I never told her how I felt. I never apologized for being such an ass. I could imagine her now, waking up in the hospital to find out that I was missing.

Worse of all, I never told Jerry that I was sorry for never truly helping him. I saw him be bullied- I defended off one or two -but I never tried to find out why. I never put any serious effort into saving him, only scolding him for letting all of those boys terrorize him. Why did I do that? Blame the victim? He must hate me right now.

I opened my mouth and choked on water.

I never told Sherry that I was sorry for making fun of her nightmares. I always guessed that it was something awful that happened, but if it was anything like what I did today . . .

My lungs ached as I tried to gasp for air, only to swallow more water.

I love you, Mom.

I love you too, Dad, but I need you to know that I never hated you. I think I understand now that you did love me in your own way. I think that you thought that I was mature enough not to need your attention. You were wrong, though. I'm weak. I know nothing of this world. I needed you and you weren't there. I love you, but please don't make that mistake again. Mom needs you, Jerry needs you, Sherry needs you.

If I die, will you be there for Stella? She'll need you.

I closed my eyes.

I sunk deeper and deeper.

I broke the surface.

"I got her!" Someone yelled, holding me by my waist. I coughed, hacking up disgustingly salty water. My eyes opened just a bit, but all I saw was a dark haze. I wasn't sinking anymore? When did that happen? The person helped me swim to something, forcing me onto the edge. "Liechtenstein, are you there?" the person asked, yelling into my ear.

I wanted to ask when this person came to grab me, why he saved me from drowning, but all that left my mouth was a small moan.

"Okay, you're alive. Hang onto to the ledge and we'll help you in, okay?" I was barely aware the person's hands were on my waist. Still his grip seemed sure as they lifted me out of the water and into a small boat.

Someone else came to his aide, pulling me onto my back and placing the back of their hands on my face. "She's cold, but it's not hyperthermia," he said. The haze started to clear from my eyes and, slowly, I could make out the Netherland's face. He looked beat up, littered with cuts and bruises. Part of his hair was singed and the tip of his ear was black. Although he was frowning at me, his eyes showed relief. "Liechtenstein, I'm going to need you to sit up now," he told me gently. "It'll help you breathe properly."

I nodded limply and allowed him to pull me upright. I leaned into his shoulder, coughing a more water left my lungs. I didn't complain when my shivering drove him to wrap his arm around my shoulders. He was my enemy, I should have pushed him away. But I was too tired and at that point, I was too tired to complain. At least the rain had stopped.

Gilbert appeared at the side of the boat, swinging his leg over the side. "How is she?" He asked worriedly, taking a seat right by me. He too had an assortment of bruises and cuts, though he also possessed a limp. He did not hesitate to pull me off of the Netherland's shoulders and onto his own. He brushed his warm fingers through my hair, kissing the top of my forehead. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, dude," Alfred said as he climbed over the side. He looked surprisingly unscratched, though his glasses were still cracked and his bare chest had many splinters in them. "After all, the hero was the one who saved her." I see, he was the one who pulled me out of the ocean.

Belarus, sitting off to the side in her brother's soaking wet brown coat scowled. "Alfred, Gilbert- were you two able to find any more survivors?" She asked coldly. Whatever wounds she had was caused by her fight with France. She and Alfred must have avoided the majority of the blast.

They both shook their heads. "England must have gotten to everyone else first," Gilbert said solemnly. "It's just the six of us."

Six? Who else was here? I glanced around the deck, realizing quickly that this was the same boat Belarus and the Netherlands used to save us from England the first time. It was positioned close enough to the water, perfect to avoid the blast. After a few seconds, my unfocused eyes were able to make out Turkey. He sat in a lonely corner, staring at his hands. He now wore his mask, covering what Alfred would later tell me was a face burn. He barely moved, barely breathed.

"H-how . . ." I trailed off. Was that really my voice? It was so fragile, so weak, barely above a mumble. When did I become like that? Realizing that everyone was staring at me, I quickly finished my question. "How are you all still alive?"

I sat there in silence, barely listening to the Belarus's explanation of the explosion. Something was wrong . . . "The minute I took the coat, I knew to run for escape, that way THE WAR would not end," she explained quietly. "I jumped over the side of the boat and started to undo the ropes. Alfred was trapped in the fire below deck and saw me at the windows."

Alfred nodded happily, pointing to his chest. "Yeah, so I break the glass and hopped in. I told Switzerland and Greece to hurry up and join me, but before they could, the bomb went off."

"I cut the ropes," she continued. "The moment I hit the water, I had to sail us out a bit from the ship. From what I could tell, England had a spell on himself and he crew to protect them. Alfred and I had to wait for them to finish pulling out our injured before we could search. Pretty lucky for us then that most of you were able to swim over here by ourselves."

"Even luckier that they didn't pick you up, Liech," Gilbert said, nudging my shoulder. "We just had to pull you and Turkey over there out of the water."

I suddenly knew what was wrong.

My blood reached a new level of coldness.

"Where is she?" I asked. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I just had to know . . . "Where's my sister?"

Everyone gave me confused looks. "Who?" The Netherlands asked. He reached his hand towards me, ready to check my temperature again. "Liechtenstein, who are you-"

I swatted his hand away. I pushed myself off of Gilbert. "Where is she?" I yelled, glaring at Turkey. "Where is Agatha?"

He slowly raised his head and looked at me. His eyes shone contritely as he shook his head. He croaked, "I let go."

* * *

**MW: **I'm sorry, but everyone you love will die.

Anyways, short chapter, huh? A lot of explosions as well. You could say that it was a blast to write.

Yeah, I'm not funny.

So, um, what do I talk about now? I was sick for a while there, but I still did this chapter. I'm going to try to update next week before I leave for three days for a funeral, so I'm going to try to be awesome I guess. You know, I am continually getting worse and worse at writing ANs. This is a serious problem. It's killing me.

Tasteless pun not intended.

**Notes**

"Motaff" Writer of BBC Sherlock and the latest seasons of Dr. Who. I absolutely hate his writing since the only thing he knows how to do is shock people with sad things.

"Gaang" The fan name of the group the protagonists make in _Avatar: the Last Airbender_ (First season: Aang, Katara, and Sokka).

**Next Chapter: **With the crew of _The Romanov _captured, it'll be up to the remaining six to save them. But will they be able to get over the shock to do so?

**Thank you all for reading! Sorry for killing off three characters in one chapter, but this is what happens to someone if they haven't killed off a character for over a year now. **


	12. White On The Outside, Black Deep Down

**MW: **Okay, so this will be the last chapter without my proofreader since she's coming back sometime this evening. Yeah, I don't want her to come back from an exhausting trip around Europe to suddenly have a chapter be shoved into her face. This is me being a nice person. In celebration of the previous chapter, I would like to repeat a joke **FrostyTheBookLover **was so kind as to tell: What is Turkey's favorite candy? Butterfingers!

Hahaha, dark humor.

I would like to thank**Hammsters,****PurpleLuna98,****FrostyTheBookLover,****Sarah I LOVE ENGLAND Fanfics, **and**dismallyOriented** for reviewing. You guys get a bunch of kisses.

Just a little warning, I'm going away for a wedding this weekend, so the next update will probably come a little late. Considering what's going to happen, this is not good.

I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter Summary: **Things are never as they first appear.

**Warnings: **Strong language, violence (including animals), some nudity, and blood.

**Disclaimer: **I really own nothing.

* * *

**~Chapter 12~**

**White On The Outside, Black Deep Down**

"_But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew._

_All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true._

_And the games you play, you would always win, always win."_

_-_**From the song "Set Fire to the Rain" by British singer Adele**

* * *

**THE WAR: Day 18**

Turkey held onto her hand when the blast went off. Through the intense heat and roaring booms, he was sure that he had held onto her hand the entire time. So when he opened his eyes to the salty water, he chocked before swimming to the surface without a second thought. The salt stung part of his body, but none more vividly than his face. Was he burnt there?

When he broke the surface, gasping for air dumbly, Turkey saw the full effects of the bomb. All around him, his fellow Brown Coats were hanging onto floating piece of wood and barrels for dear life, moaning from the injuries. He was tempted to reach for them, make sure that people like Switzerland and Greece were okay, but England was already sending his unscratched crew members after them.

He placed his hand back in the water, scowling. If would only be a matter of time before-

Turkey's eyes went wide.

Why was his hand free? Why wasn't he holding her hand?

He looked down into the water, seeing blood swirl in the salt gather below his feet. A pang of fright struck him and, without much thought, he held his breath and dived below.

Deeper and deeper he swam, slowly making out her body. Her eyes were closed and no air bubbles left her mouth or nose. She seemed paler, almost ghost like. One of her legs was tangled in a rope tied to something heavy, pulling her down faster than Turkey could swim. As he dove deeper he realized that the blood he saw was coming from her. Something in the blast caused her arm to be blown off.

She was bleeding so much. So much.

Still, Turkey was determined not to lose her. Even when his lungs burned and his vision turned black, he forced himself to go deeper. He had to get her. He had to save her. He told her that he would protect her, that he would never let her go. What kind of a person would he be to break that promise?

Something wrapped around his waist. Turkey immediately started fighting, punching and kicking the arm of his savoir. The person ignored him, pulling him to the surface. The girl's body continued to sank until, in all inevitability, faded away completely.

Prussia and Turkey broke surface. Prussia yelled for Turkey to calm down, demanding that he listen to reason. Turkey continued to struggle, demanding his release. He couldn't let her go, he couldn't. He bit Prussia's hand. Prussia yelped, yanking his hand away and forfeiting his hold on Turkey. Turkey dived back into the water, vainly hoping to still see her. Barely two seconds later, Prussia pulled him back to the surface.

Stop being a dumbass, Prussia told him. Get on the ship. You'll be safe there.

But I can't leave her.

See all that blood? She's dead already, pal.

But I let her go.

Prussia was silent for a long moment. Let's just find a ship.

Turkey was forced to swim idly with Prussia until England called off his search. It was then that they were picked up by Belarus and the Netherlands. All of them knew that England saw them, but he just glared at them from his spot on the flaming _Romanov. _He made no move against them. As they waited for Alfred to return with Liechtenstein, Turkey sat in a lonely corner, wishing and praying for an opportunity to jump back into the water. He wanted to find her. He _needed _to find her.

Or, at least, that is the story Turkey told me. I wasn't sure whether I should believe him or not, but the reserved look on his face told me enough. He was speaking the truth—a cold and difficult one at that.

It's been two days since England's ambush and we were only now coming upon land. Saying that it's been quiet would be an understatement. From my cozy corner of the ship, it seemed as though everyone was pulling their hair out and screaming desperately in their own way.

There was Turkey, sitting quietly in his corner. His abnormal healing abilities allowed his face to heal already, granting him the privilege of taking off his mask. Since he's gotten on the ship, he hasn't eaten, drunk, or slept. He just sat there in his corner, only talking when asked to. He was only able to leave his depressed state to tell his story to me a few hours ago. Even then, he quickly feel back into it.

Gilbert had been trying to keep everyone sane, but in his own way. He spent his days drifting from person to person, grinning cheekily and talking obnoxiously. He didn't want to talk about anything that happened on that ship. I didn't think he realized that I killed his brother.

The Netherlands was in a sour mood. Like the last time he was on this boat, he sat on the floor, steering the boat for Belarus. He didn't try to talk to me. He didn't do anything suspicious at all. All he did was gaze distantly into the ocean, only looking away to check the time on his watch.

Alfred was a breath away from being bipolar. There would be moments when he would join Gilbert in the merrymaking, laughing and trying to cheer the rest of us up. Then, just as quickly as he laughed, his voice would die down into seriousness again. With a drawn face, he would pace the deck, muttering about wasted time. There would be times when he would find a secluded spot and cry silently to himself. Then, right before anyone could step in and ask if he was alright, he was back to being rainbows and sunshine again.

But personally, I think Belarus had it the worse. She had to air bend day and night to keep up General Winter's cold wind in our petty sails, only resting to eat and drink. Dark bags gathered under her eyes and creases appeared on her face. I could tell by the fierce way she moved her arms, the way she bit her lip and kept silent, that she was in pain. Her brother was dead. She left her sister in the hands of the enemy. A civilian was dead. In her eyes, all of this was happening because of her.

Then, there was me: quiet, meek Liechtenstein. For the most part, I sat in the same spot all day and all night, too afraid to sleep. I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, I would see the vivid images of the battle. I would see the blood, the flames, the slaughter. Even now I incessantly rubbed my hands on my pants, trying to rid myself of the sticky coat of blood that wasn't there. I didn't want to think about how Agatha was dead, how I murdered Holy Rome. All I wanted to do was sit mutely and watch Liechtenstein's body heal itself.

Now, two days after the fight, my only lesion was my exhaustion. My status as the soul possessing a country's body allowed my wounds to heal themselves in no time. Although my body still ached at certain joints, I looked as good as new. If only I felt good.

I pulled my legs close to my chest, tangling my fingers in my hair. I could smell the blood on my hands. "_What made me think that I could aim properly?" _I asked myself, trepidation consuming my body. "_I wasn't able to hit the mast- what made me think I could hit his shoulder? Stupid cunt."_

Something touched my head. "Calm down, Larry," Alfred said softly as he knelt on the ground next to me. I looked up at him. There was a gentleness in his face, one that matched the soothing tone of his voice. The way his eyes looked levelly at me somehow eased my wrecked nerves. "It's not your fault."

I gulped. I shook my head. For some reason, my movements were small. My head barely moved when I whispered, "But it is."

A hoarse, obnoxious laugh broke through the air. The source, Gilbert, stood in the middle of the boat. His legs were straddled and his fists were square on his hips as he threw his head back and cackled. "Why do you all look so glum?" He demanded, coyly grinning. "Land's in sight! We can go get a few beers and eat some real food and sleep! Why isn't excited about that?"

Everyone from Turkey to Belarus to myself shot him annoyed glared. I appreciated what he was trying to do, but his optimism felt like an insult to our captured comrades. It was a slap to the face for those who were dead. Gilbert looked at us hopefully for a moment, hoping to gain a single supporter. His face lit up like the Fourth of July when the Netherlands sighed and raised his hand. "Excuse me for asking, but Belarus?" Belarus, never stopping her dance, turned her glare to him. His glazed over him harmlessly and he asked, "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" She paused for the briefest of moments before flicking her hair and continuing. "I don't have a plan," she admitted, practically hissing the words.

"But you're our leader now," he said dully. "So you have to tell us what to-"

"I have no idea what to do!" I flinched, practically jumping into Alfred's arms as she stomped her foot on the ground. Even Turkey looked up from his lonely spot as she bowed her head until her bangs shielded her face from view. "My brother was the one who led, not me," she shouted, her chest heaving with unshed tears. "I know nothing! I'm pathetic compared to him." She drew her arm over his eyes, wiping away the water. "Everyone came to like him . . . I'm just a freak."

The Netherlands sounded like he was resisting a groan. "But you're the freak who's going to lead us out of this mess," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The fact is that you're our first mate and the most qualified to lead us. We have no choice but to follow you."

She suddenly turned to him, red in face as she snapped, "If you want the most qualified, then looked to yourself! You're the only one who knows what to do right now!"

"I have other things to worry about."

Belarus gritted her teeth, looking ready to yell at him some more. Something told me that I should stop gaping and offer her some encouragement, but Gilbert beat me to it first. He softened his overbearing grin for her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I don't say this to everyone, but you're awesome, Belarus," he told her. "If anyone will take us to victory, it'll be you!"

Belarus was silent for a long moment. Just when I thought that she was going to put up more of a fight, she sighed and shrugged his hand away. "Alright then. I guess for now our plan simply is to dock at port and find an inn to stay at," she said.

This time, Alfred raised his hand. "Question!" All eyes shot to him. He pushed his cracked glasses up his nose as he attempted a careless grin. It looked forced. "Where are we going to find the money to pay for an inn?"

"If we're lucky, we wouldn't need to pay," she explained. Her practically invisible eyebrow was raised to the sight of me huddling on the ground so close to him. Sweat pricked on the back of my neck and I inched a little bit away from his side. "If we find Pangaea's Inn, then I can call Innkeeper Pangaea out on an old debt and she'll let us stay for free."

"I thought Pangaea was in Sicily," I muttered to myself. No one noticed and I frankly didn't care. If I learned one thing, it was to not question all of the nonsensical things in this world.

Gilbert laughed, dashing to the side of the boat. He only stopped when he reached the rail, daring to place his foot on it in a pirate captain's stance. "You all worry too much!" He said, laughing as he pointed to land. "Where's any of your sense of adventure? Half of the fun is sleeping out in the mud with the prostitutes!"

Alfred frowned. He lazily laid back onto the ground, placing his hands behind his head. I barely heard him mutter, "That's probably the only way you get laid." I stifled a laugh.

Gilbert, apparently, heard him since he turned his head his and sent Alfred the deadliest of glares. "Hey, Alfred?" He called, his voice on the edge. I could feel the impending insult on the horizon, but my mentor seemed unaware.

He only lifted his chin to his chest lethargically. "What?"

"Did you know that Rus-" His red eyes snapped to Belarus. He quickly corrected, "_The Romanov _was traveling west? That means that if this boat is still traveling in that same direction, then that land right ahead of us is the American colonies." The pin dropped. Alfred shot upright, his eyes blazing with a wrathful snare. I could see him tighten his fists until his knuckles turned white, trying his hardest to bite his tongue when Gilbert taunted, "Yeah, imagined how that'll be like. Walking around a dumpy town where all of these little brats run around with their fathers. It's going to be irritating, you know? Say, have you ever been to American colonies, Alfred?"

For a moment, I thought he was going to explode. I thought he was going to lung for Gilbert and strangle him until all air left him. But, to my astonishment, Alfred somehow managed to grit his teeth long enough to answer, "No. I haven't."

Gilbert grinned. "Well this'll be a new experience for you then. It's kind of something families would want to share together."

"That's enough, Prussia," I ordered. I placed my hand on Alfred's forearm, reminding him of where he was. Already I could feel him relax under my hold. "Let it go."

Gilbert pressed his lips. He looked ready to turn on me for a second but evidently gave up. He snapped his head back to the ocean and watched the land steadily creep closer and closer to us. I wanted to punch him. What was up with him? I know that he's holding something against Alfred and has been taking every opportunity he can get to aggravate him, but I didn't know why. "_He's such a jerk," _I thought, folding my arms over my best. "_Liech, what do you see in him?"_

"_A man who's desperate," _she replied instantly.

I blinked. Okay, wasn't expecting a reply. But what did she mean? A man who is desperate?

Alfred leaned back into the rail, grumbling as he glared at his bare feet. "Are you sure that Prussia isn't Bud or Erwin? Or both?" He asked, scowling until his forehead creased. "I swear he's dick enough to be them."

I sighed, leaning into the place next to him. "I'm positive he's on our side," I told him. "I mean, I have to give the vial to him-"

He suddenly tensed, asking, "Do you still have that on you?"

I nodded. "Yup." I pulled it out of my pocket, showing the crystal container filled with black to him. I smirked. "I wouldn't leave home without it."

Alfred sighed in relief, placing a hand on his chest. "That's good. I would be screwed if we lost it," he said. With that, I was content with simply leaning into the rail and being silent for the remainder of our journey, I've had enough of sailing, but my friend was far from through. He nudged my shoulder, looking around warily. I couldn't blame him- everyone on this freaking boat was suspicious in their own way. Alfred leaned in and into my ear whispered, "So do you have any proof about, well, _Netherlands _yet?"

Oh yeah, I haven't told him about what happened yet. I knew that I had all of the intention to, but with everything that had happened, it slipped my mind. I quickly whispered in reply, "Yeah. When I went to go talk to . . . " I couldn't get the name out of my throat. Russia died thinking I hated him, didn't he? I forced myself to press forward. "He tried to talk to me, but when I refused he called me by my real name."

Alfred gasped. "You mean-"

"Yeah. Larry."

He was silent for a moment. He placed his fingers on his chin in that intelligent thinker pose I always see in cartoons. "That's pretty much a dead giveaway," he said. He looked at me, his visage shining in the maturity he always tried to hide. "Do me a favor, Lar, and avoid that creep like the plague. Let me handle him."

I scowled. "Don't kick me out of this," I hissed. "I have a grudge against him too."

"It's dangerous."

"I just got blown up, Al- don't you dare lecture me about safety." Alfred groaned, angrily huffing before leaning back into the rail. He glared angrily in front of him, refusing to meet my eyes. I sighed. What a kid. I told him, "What I meant to say, Al, is that I started this with you, right? So you can bet that I'm going to finish it with you as well."

Alfred nodded. "I know, I know. But I care, Lar. You're like a brother to me and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." Alfred flashed a grin, winking happily. "You've gotten strong, you know that right? I'm proud of you."

I looked away, ignoring the blush that crept onto my face. I . . . I always wanted Dad to say that to me. I always wanted him to come home one day and pat my back, telling me about how much I've grown, how much I've improved, how much pride I gave him. It made my chest hurt just thinking about it. I missed him a lot; I wished I could go home already just for the vain chance that he might come home already. But if I went home now, would I even be the same person?

I barely felt Alfred nudge my shoulder. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "Was it something I said?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. It's just . . ." I grabbed my arm, a small way to hug myself. I saw Jerry do this to himself all of the time and I never knew why. That is, until now. There were times when the only person to give you comfort was yourself. It was sad, in a way. "Thank you," I muttered. "That means a lot to me."

We were silent for the rest of the ride.

As we came closer, it was clear that we were landing in an old (well, new for the time) port town. There were already many vessels at the dock, all at least ten times bigger than our miniature boat. The wind turned to our favor naturally, allowing Belarus to stop her air bending and take a long needed repose. The Netherlands steered us to the dock, finding a small spot to anchor.

Gilbert and I tied the boat to a post, double checking to make sure that the knots wouldn't undo. Turkey refused to budge from his spot, causing Alfred to have to lift him into his arms and carry him around bridal style. Not that he minded- whenever a civilian stared, he simply smiled and confessed that they recently got married. I expected someone to throw a fit about it, but most people simply wished them their best. Even the Turk only stared into the distance, fiddling with the sleeves of his green shirt. Belarus and the Netherlands, meanwhile, asked around for available inns. When she returned with a tired but victories glint in her eyes, we knew that Pangaea was here.

The one good thing about losing your ship was that you lost the majority of your belongings with it. Yeah, we were able to keep hold of our weapons and I somehow managed to keep my vial and journal (though my near-drowning adventure in the water make the now dried pages smeared, wavy, and crisp), but we didn't have a lot. It sounded bad, but at least we didn't have anything to weigh us down as Belarus guided down the dirt streets us to Pangaea's Inn.

Pangaea's Inn was a quaint little place, like the ideal cottage hotel. It's wood and stone walls blended in nicely with the other buildings lining the cool harbor. I would only have known it by the sign hanging out front: a globe with the words 'Pangaea' circling it. I liked the classic look on the outside, but I fell in love with the interior.

I took a breath of relief as I absorbed the sights. A fire was lit in the fireplace, casting shadows on the deer head that hung over. A few wooden chairs surrounded it, though none of the smelly sailors were using it. They only drank their beer and ate at their food at the tables towards the front. I overheard one of them gruffly explain that the door at the far side of the lounge lead to the kitchen. He then pointed to the staircase and explained to his naive colleague that those lead to the rooms.

Feeling relaxed, I closed my eyes and took a long sniff of the air. The cook must have been making stew.

It didn't smell as good as Ukraine's.

Pangaea- the same plump lady with the brown skin, bleach blond hair, and lime green dress as the one in Sicily-sat at the receptionist desk, looking between her work and the patrons drinking at the tables. The soft smile her work brought her morphed into a frowned when she saw Belarus. She testily placed her paper down and pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she came around the desk. "It's been awhile, Belarus," she greeted, giving the six of us warry looks. She held herself very differently from her Bartender counterpart- she spoke with a thick British accent and held herself with refinement. "I suppose you're looking for a room?"

Belarus pulled her lips into a tight line. It seemed to kill her to drop her pride long enough to growl, "Well, I was actually hoping to call you out on an old debt."

"That old thing?" Pangaea scrutinized our company again. We looked like a mess- ripped clothes and worn faces. We definitely weren't winning points by having Alfred cradle Turkey like a baby. "I was hoping you forgot about it." She was silent for a moment, musing over our wrecked appearances. "Well I suppose that if it's just you guys it'll be okay," she said at last.

Belarus looked relieved. "Thank you-"

She waved a finger. "But there is no imaginable way I will let you people walk around my establishment looking like-" She moved her hands around, trying to find the words. "-vagabonds. I will fetch you all some new, _respectable, _clothes."

"I think changing is the last thing anyone in my crew wants to do right now," Belarus said. "Frankly, we all just need rest and a few beers right now."

Everyone ignored Gilbert when he pumped his fist in victory. Pangaea shuffled back to her desk, scribbling something into her books. "Well I'll just stick them in your rooms then and you can change when you want," she said. "How long are you going to be staying here?"

The frown on our first mate's face deepened as she sighed a little. "Until England finds us," she said.

We all looked at her with surprise. "What?" Alfred exclaimed, not caring the least when the other sailors of the inn sent him annoyed glares. "What does that mean? Are we just gonna give up?" Belarus only held up her hand, watching intently as Pangaea pulled out two sets of keys.

"I can only spare you guys two rooms then," she told us, holding them out to us. I meekly took them from her, muttering a small thanks. She smiled kindly at me. "There's three beds in each, so I'll trust you to sort out who goes in what room."

Belarus nodded. "Thank you, Pangaea."

She shrugged. "Eh, I never leave a debt unpaid. Would you like me to get you all a beer?"

Everyone around me nodded, but I had to shake my head. "I don't drink," I told her.

"Can you get me two?" I shot my head back. Was that really Turkey who spoke? Was he really the one raising his hand, seemingly peaking out of his despair? "Actually, can you get me the strongest think you got?" He asked.

Pangaea pressed her lips, huffing as she turned away. "This is an inn, not a pub," she snapped, stalking into the kitchen. The other sailors in the inn had the gall to raise their hands and order more food as she went.

We were silent for a long moment.

"So we're just going to spend time here until England gets here and then we'll all be rested enough to kick his ass while he's tired from the search, right?" Gilbert asked, looking down at Belarus with hopeful red eyes. He sounded like a little kid again, trying to be reassured that his favorite toy was not broken. "I mean, that'll be the awesome thing to do."

She looked down at the ground sadly shaking her head. She said hollowly, "No Prussia. That isn't the plan."

I heard Alfred gulp. "Then what is?"

She almost looked up at him, peaking her eye at him before painfully looking away. "There's our beers," she said suddenly, pointing to the chairs by the fireplace. Pangaea was placing a tray of the frothing mugs, beckoning for us to take a seat. Belarus rushed to her place, snatching a mug before taking a long drink. It was like watching a parched beggar drink water for the first time in years. Her face gradually relaxed as she eased herself into her chair, sighing in relief. The boys were quick to follow, Turkey tumbling out of Alfred's arms as he claimed two of them. I lingered behind for a moment, gritting my teeth before trailing behind.

I took a seat by the fire, pulling off my black shoes and letting my feet taste the heat. It really hasn't been all that cold outside, yet they felt numb like ice. I wrapped my arms over my chest, hugging myself as I looked weakly toward the others. They were all lounging in their seats, everyone either ignoring the problem at hand or looking hesitant to bring it up. I frowned. It looked like it would be up at me. I didn't cut any corners, only looked up at Belarus plainly as I asked, "So we're giving up?"

Belarus contritely lowered her mug, avoiding everyone's intended gazes. "I wouldn't necessarily call it that."

"But we _are _going to let England win THE WAR?" the Netherlands asked as he leaned into his chair. I wondered how he could sound so casual in a situation like this. Then again, he was the ringmaster of this circus. He probably made sure that all of this would happen.

Belarus's voice returned to the hard, defensive, tone I was used to when she explained, "We're significantly outnumbered. His ship triumphs ours. We have no hope of defeating someone like him. It's best if we just surrendered and ended this silly game while we have the chance."

Gilbert growled, throwing his empty mug on the ground as he jumped to his feet. "That's the cowardly thing to do!" He shouted, looming over her like a bad spirit. "Would your brother really want you to give up so easily?"

She curled her lip, snapping, "Don't bring my brother into this!"

"You're just a coward!"

"I don't want anyone else to die!" Gilbert's eyes went wide and he took a small step back. He wasn't expecting such volume, such fierceness. In a way, I kind of did. Why wouldn't she get defensive about her brother? But still, I didn't like the two streams of tears that were falling silently falling down her cheeks. "Believe it or not, but I care about you people. I care about all of you. I-" She stopped herself. Belarus tore her eyes away and forced them to the ground. "I'm sorry if you couldn't see that."

The chair squeaked as the Netherlands abruptly stood. "I'm going to go buy some cigarettes," he announced out of the blue. "Here-" he handed Gilbert his half-finished drink. "Finish this for me, will you?"

"Where are you going get the money to buy them?" Alfred demanded, sending him a distrustful glare.

He only waved his words away as he steadily walked out of the inn. "I'll find a way."

I shook my head. If he wasn't the enemy, I would think that he was just tired of this tense atmosphere. I sure was. I rose from my seat, collecting my shoes off of the floor. "I'm going to take a nap," I announced. They looked at me with wide eyes, as if not expecting me to, well, do _anything. _I sent them a hard glare, only pausing in my steps to place a hand on Gilbert's arm. "Try not to be such an ass," I told him. He gritted his teeth in reply, trying not to snap at me.

Without much thought, I walked up the stairs and to our rooms. According to our keys, we had the two rooms at the end of the hallway, both doors facing each other from opposite sides of the hall. I sighed, looking at the two iron keys I balanced with my shoes in my hands. Which one to choose?

"Larry."

I sighed again, rolling my eyes when I heard Alfred's steps coming down the hall. "I want to be alone right now," I told him, not bothering to turn back to him. "Can you go away?"

He paused a few feet from me, close enough that I could hear his shallow breaths. "Not until you promise me something first," he said.

I scoffed, "Like what?"

Alfred hesitated for a long second. He said, "Don't do anything stupid."

I dropped my guard. Stupid? What did he think that I was going to do? I really did just want to go inside and rest for a bit. I didn't care anymore about who won THE WAR or not. The only thing on my mind right now was whether or not I really was going to give Gilbert that vial or not. It was my only ticket home. "_What if he thought that I was going to go after Netherlands," _I realized. He did leave so abruptly that it was hard to believe that he wasn't going to plan my demise or anything.

I shook my head. "I don't plan to," I told him firmly. "At least-" I couldn't help but to grin. "Not without you there to help me."

Alfred was quiet for a moment before a hollow laugh left his lips. "Yeah, you're right." He placed a cold hand on my shoulder, squeezing it for safe measures. "I shouldn't have doubted you, man." Just as quickly as he appeared, he ripped his hand away and walked away. "I shouldn't have doubted you."

I waited until I could hear his feet pound on the staircase to look back down at my keys. Which one to pick . . . I did a quick game of eeny-meeny-miny-moe, picking the one in my right hand. To the right door I went, sticking the key in and unlocking the key. The room was dark, the only light coming in from the rectangular window on the far wall (not that it did much good- it was barely five feet from an alleyway). There was three twin sized beds against one wall, a mirror with a sink, toilet, and tub on the other. So much for privacy.

The new clothes Pangaea gave us were on the beds, ripe for the picking. Dropping my shoes on the ground, I shifted through the trousers and shirts, eventually finding a pair of navy blue slacks and a long brown tunic. I quickly pulled it on, buckling a new black belt around my waist. It felt nice- wearing clothes that didn't reek of blood. If only I could get the damned smell of my hands.

I released a long breath, sitting on the edge of the bed. What was I even doing? What was the point of staying here any longer? I should just give Gilbert the vial and get my hands out of his business. This was a completely different world from my own, wasn't it? I had no reason to be concerned about what Bud or Erwin or Himaruya do with it. I sighed. Alfred said that I changed, didn't he? Was this for the better or was it for the worse? Did he know that I was starting to give up?

"Meow!"

I jumped, yelping as I quickly pulled my legs up onto the bed. I couldn't believe my eyes. There, right at my feet, was Sokka. It looked up at me innocently with its large eyes and brown and white fur. My heart pounded in my chest as I started incoherently down at it. How did it get here? I thought it went down with the ship. Looking at it closer, I saw that there wasn't even a scratch or flaw on its fur. "How are you still alive?" I demanded shrilly. Now that I thought about it, Sokka always appeared at the most unbelievable times. Like right when something important is about to happen. "_Is Sokka working against me?" _I wondered. The idea sounded ridiculous. How can a cat be conspiring for my downfall? "_This is a world where bisexuality is a norm and people are countries. I don't think it can get more ridiculous than that."_

Sokka meowed again, jumping onto my bed. I yelped again, scrambling to get away from it. I shrieked, "What do you even want?" If Sokka could roll its eyes, I sure it would have. Instead, it continued to meow as it hopped from my bed to the window sill. I stared at it, trying my best not to blink. I asked, "You want to go outside?"

Another meow.

Finally, a way to rid of this . . . _thing. _Quickly looking around the room one last time (I had to make sure there wasn't a trap in wait for me somewhere), I swiftly ran to the window and pulled it open. Outside, the air was cool and tasted strongly of smoke and salt. "There," I said. "Now get out of here."

Sokka sat down, a sure sign of that not being what it wanted. I stared at it for a moment, waiting to see what it would do. It bit the edge of my sleeve.

A surge of panic shot through me, causing me to shriek as I tried to pull my arm away. However, the cat was pretty strong. It nonchalantly pulled my arm towards the window without much problem. Was he trying to tell me something? I did my best to clear my head long enough to figure out what its message was. "You want me to go outside?" I asked.

It nodded, moving my arm with it.

I looked out the window again. "Right through here?"

Another nod.

"Why?"

Sokka pausing, thinking about it for a moment before spitting out my arm. I quickly shot my arm back to my chest, cradling it there gently. My arm didn't hurt at all, but the idea that Sokka had bit me had me all shaken up. The cat was patient enough to wait until I gave it my full attention again. "Meow, meow!" Two times. It meowed two times.

I thought back, trying to figure out what that means. When has it ever meowed to me- I felt like banging my head against something. It was so obvious, but I could hardly believe the answer. "You mean . . . if I go outside, I'll find Spain?" I asked.

Sokka meowed thrice again, gesturing with its head towards the window.

I stared down at it. With everything that has happened, it would be best to finally meet He With Your Name in person at last. The chances were that he was on my team and he would be more than willing to help Alfred and me with Bud and Erwin. But . . .

Sokka blinked innocently at me, meowing loudly.

Alfred has yelled at me. There are times when Gilbert has been a jerk. Sokka has never hurt me in any way. Every time I needed to rest, it's always been there to curl up at my side, just like what Berry used to do. Even now, Sokka could have bit my arm to direct it, but it instead clamped its teeth on my sleeve. It had no intention of hurting me. I closed my eyes and sighed. Maybe I was just a sucker, but I was surely convinced that Sokka loved me.

"Let me pull on some shoes first," I said, rushing back to my old clothes. Sokka seemed to brighten up as I pulled on my shoes and shove my two knives into my pocket. I rushed back to the window, placing my hands on the wood sill and sticking my head outside. "Okay, so we're going out the window. We're doing down into the alley, right?"

It happily jumped onto my shoulder, balancing itself on the crook on my shoulder. It meowed once. No. I gritted my teeth. "So we're climbing up?" Two meows. Yes.

I sighed, looking up. Since I was on the top floor, it wasn't much to climb, but there would be a long distance to fall. I took a deep breath. Remember fetching all of those papers the Connor the Paper Boy threw? Remember how you always had to climb up trees and the side of the house to reach them? This couldn't be much different.

Bracing myself on the sides of the window, I brought my legs up and crouched on the sill. I inched out a little bit more, trying to find a holding. The alley was cramp like the ones in Sicily, making it easy for me to touch the other wall across from me. Lucky for me, there was another sill across from me. I carefully stood, placing one foot on that sill and keeping the other on mine.

Straddled between the buildings, I looked for something to hold. Sokka meowed, bring to my attention a drainage pipe. Did they even have those back then? I didn't care. It looked sturdy enough to hold my height. I grabbed it and used it to help pull myself up onto the roof. I had to run my feet on the brick walls, huffing as I swung a leg over. When my whole body was finally safe on the slanted red shillings of the inn roof, I could not help but to laugh in relief. That wasn't so bad. Slightly terrifying, but not bad.

Sokka pawed my shoulder, meowing for me to get up. I groaned, "Okay, okay." I sat up, rolling the kinks out of my shoulders. It took me a second to realize that Sokka was running off already, jumping from one building to the next. Seriously? I groaned as I rose to my heavy feet and speedily ran after it.

I frowned. This was like the first time I woke up in this place. I had to jump across buildings to escape the Netherlands and Turkey. The first time I did this, if I remembered correctly, I was afraid of making the jump. But even though the gaps between the alleys were bigger than the ones of that old deserted town, there was not a lick of fear in me. Why should there be? I've been harassed, kidnapped, and blown up more times than I could count.

Maybe Alfred was right. Maybe I really did change.

I learned pretty quickly that the jumps were easier if I didn't stop running. All I had to do was extend my legs far enough for each leap. Then, use the shock of my landing to power my feet even more. I couldn't stop, not even when my chest began to ache. I had to make sure that I didn't lose that cat. I was like my own Alice, except the bunny was a cat and Wonderland was the real world.

After ten or so buildings, Sokka finally stopped. As I ran to catch up with it, I saw it pause at one the ledges and lean over the side, looking down at something. I jumped my last building, landing with a shock. I grunted, but ignored it so that I could skid to a stop. My whole lower half ached. I felt like Jell-O, the green kind Mom ate in the morning for breakfast. I placed my hands on my bent knees, panting too hard not to feel sick. "What. . . " I had to stop. I didn't have enough breath to talk.

I dragged my feet to the ledge, letting myself sink to the ground. I looked over the edge. I was expecting to see a Spanish man look up at me with a drawn face and beckon for me to join him on the ground, but instead I saw the Netherlands, muttering something to a waterside street vendor before taking a pack of cigarettes. The ache in my chest grew, but not from loss of breath. "Sokka, am I supposed to be looking at Netherlands?" I asked. It meowed twice. "Why? I thought that we were going after Spain."

The cat ignored me, only watching as the Netherlands took a long drag of his tobacco and stalked into the alley below us. I watched him pause right below us, stuffing his new pack into his pocket. I closed my eyes, sighing, "Sokka, what are we-"

It bit me.

It bloody bit me.

I yelped, snatching my wounded hand off of the ledge. My support gone, there was nothing stopping me from falling over the ledge. I barely had time to realize it, only feeling my stomach plummet as the air rushed around me. Then, I painfully hit something. I kept my eyes closed and groaned loudly. I could feel the bruises develop over the aching stretches on my arms and legs.

"Mother of Jesus!" I froze. I suddenly knew why I didn't have broken bones. I knew why I was still alive. I cracked my eye open, not surprised but still gasping when I saw that I was in the Netherlands's arms. I had fall straight into his clutches. Literally. I immediately began to kick, muttering about how he had to let go of me. He only raised a thick eyebrow, looking down at me with shock. "What the hell, Liechtenstein?" He exclaimed, dropping me to the ground. I landed painfully, but I could not afford to waste time. I scrambled to my feet, the Netherlands watching me with growing confusion. "Where the hell did you come from?" he asked, looking back up at the sky.

I took a few steps back. I was face to face with the enemy now- the exact thing I swore to Alfred I _wouldn't _do. I glanced around frantically, trying to sort out all of the voices in my head. One was screaming for me to run away, another was sneering in my ear to stick my feet in the mud and confront him once and for all. Another part of me was crying tears over Sokka's betrayal, another questioned optimistically why the cat would do something like this. Would confronting Netherlands lead to Spain's arrival?

I realized that the Netherlands was in my personal space far too late. Breaking from my trance, I saw that his hands were gripping my shoulder and his green eyes were looking down at me with worry. "Are you alright, Liechtenstein?" He asked. "You look scared."

Something within me was pricked painfully. I know that I swore to myself that I was no longer going to pretend to be strong when I wasn't, but old habits die hard. A hole formed in my pride, eating me up from the inside out. I had to prove him wrong. I wasn't scared- not of him, whether he was Bud or Erwin.

Growling, I yanked my shoulders away. "Get off of me!" I shouted. I took a few steps back, reverting my feet to the battle stance Belarus taught me. I pulled my knives out of my pocket, showing the silver blades to the Netherlands.

I watched his eyes went wide and the cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth. "What are you doing?" He asked quietly. "Liechtenstein, why are you-"

"Why are you still calling me by that name?" I barked harshly. I could see the sweat dripping down his warm skin. "You know my real one, so use it."

The country stared at me for a long moment. "I don't understand-"

I shouted, "Larry Ebenezer Sue! That's my name! I know you know it, so where did you learn it?"

Then, not to my surprise, his shock disappeared.

The Netherland's face warped into some sort of reverence, his eyes cold and mouth flat. He abjectly took another drag of his cig, blowing a long stream of drag out of his mouth. "So it's come to this, hasn't it?" He asked coldly. I shuddered. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, I was not prepared for that. "Two men, finally confronting each other in a pathetic alley way."

I tightened my grip on the hilts of the knives until my knuckles were white. "I'm not going to back down," I said lowly. "I have too much to gain from this."

"So do I."

A peal of cold laughter left my lips. "You do?' I asked, barely believing it. "What can you, the master mind, possibly gain from all of this?" And there he was again- gaping at me with shock. The Netherlands opened and closed his mouth a few times like a starved fish. I cackled again. "So you didn't expect me to figure it out?" I sneered.

"No." I dropped my hatred for a second, a primal fear striking me. I was wrong? How could I be? He was just tricking me, wasn't he? I narrowed my eyes and looked back at him. He was shaking his head, his eyes so wide that I could see more white than green. "You've got this all wrong, Larry," he said hastily. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his watch for me to see. It was the same one he's always been looking at, but this was the first time I've realized that it was an exact copy as the one Denmark had. "I'm not the bad guy here."

"Yes you are!" At this point, I was only shouting from fright. The fact that I was wrong was stuck to my skin, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. If I did, then I would be completely blind right now. I've lost my handicap and I was oddly aware of how small I was without it. "You're Bud and Erwin," I persisted. "I signed my contract with you!"

"No."

We both went still. My heart seized up as all breath left me again. "_That voice." _

Footsteps bounced against the brick walls, echoing all around us. "I can hardly believe it, Mr. Sue."

I saw the Netherlands turn to stone, his hands shaking as he heard the steps grow faster. "_It couldn't be."_

"It's only been a few days, yet you've already forgotten who I am."

We both looked down the alley. "_That''s-"_

Stepping out of the shadows was a familiar face. He was a rather young man with square glasses like mine that glinted against the sunlight. His hair was dark, greased, and stuck out at every so angle. There was an air of snobbiness on his pale face as he smirked at out expressions. "Really, Mr. Sue," he said calmly, flicking the cuffs of his white suit. The color drowned him, the only shade on everything from his slacks to the tip of his suit jacket. Black would be a more fitting hue. "I would have expected so much better."

I nearly dropped my weapons. That was the same face the man at the receptionist desk at the hospital. His voice was the very same that threatened me on _the Oberon. _I pointed my finger, silently commanding my body to stop shaking. 'Y-you're Erwin," I whispered.

The Netherlands at last gulped whatever lump he had in his throat. He gripped his watch tightly in his hand as he narrowed his eyes into a deadly glare. "So it's you," he hissed. "All this time, you've been Erwin. I . . ." He took a deep breath. "Out of everyone, I never thought it would be you, Austria."

I gasped. "You're a country?" I asked. I sounded more scared than I wanted, but I couldn't help it. Every inch of my body was consumed with trepidation and I did not know how to control it.

Erwin laughed. It was sick to the taste, making more sweat trickle down the sides of my neck. "I'm more than just a country, Mr. Sue," he told me humoredly. "I am an enlightened one, one of the few who is worthy of the true knowledge of this universe. I work under the name of our creator, Himaruya, and I know all of the secrets to this world and the others."

"Like my world?" I asked.

He grimaced. "Yes. The . . . _negative _world." I knitted my brows. Negative world? Did he mean to say that my world was bad? Before I could dare to ask, Erwin turned his attention to the country in front of him. That disgusting smirk never left his face when he placed a gloved hand on the Netherland's cheek. "My dear client," he said. "I do believe the time has come, has it not?"

Surprisingly, my comrade was able to shake his head. "I still have time on my clock," he whispered. Even though his voice was so soft, there was a rebellious tone to it. He was dangerous, like a time bomb with an inaccurate clock. Any second, he was going to blow.

Erwin nodded. "Yes, but wouldn't you like to join your brother early? Your poor old Mathias is very lonely."

"Don't you dare talk about Mathias that way!" The Netherlands screamed, swinging a fist at Erwin. Hands folded behind his back, the man lightly stepped back and let the blow miss him entirely. The Netherlands grunted, wiping the sweat off of his forehead as he lunged again.

Erwin continued to take small steps back, calmly avoiding each swing. It drove Netherland insane- the way Erwin didn't blink when his knuckles barely missed. I watched the cruel waltz with anxiety, one part hoping for my friend to land a blow and another hoping he'll miss. Would it be better to aggravate Erwin or avoid the conflict now? Would we ever get the chance to go against him again?

At last, the Netherlands gave up, lowering his fists in defeat. He glared at Erwin, his chest rising and falling with his pants. "You're a coward," he sneered. "You always avoid conflicts instead of facing them head on like a man."

The other shrugged, the heels of his shoes clicking as he walked towards him again. "Fighting is not my forte," he said, watching triumphantly as the Netherlands took steps away from them. They were coming closer, coming back to me. I raise my knives again, prepared to fight him as well. I wasn't weak. I knew that now.

Still, I could not keep my arms steady. My weapons shook in my hands as I tried to aim them straight, straight at Erwin's chest. But it was a strain to even raise them. My limbs felt weighted. For the first time in a week, I couldn't breathe in my corset. I swore, trying to focus in on the situation, but my mind was frantically jumping to other places. What was going to happen here? Was I going to be okay in the end? Would Erwin try to kill me? Since when did the Netherlands have a contract with him?

I bit my lip. What the hell was going on here?

The Netherlands's back was right in front of me now. He stretched a hand back to me, protectively pushing me back further as Erwin caved in on him. He stole a quick glance back to me. Something inside of my twisted when I saw the haunted gleam in his eyes. There were dark spot dropping beneath them as well, making him look older as well. Yet, beneath the scars his dealing with Erwin left him, there was something else. "_Care," _I realized. "_He wants to care-" _I looked at his eyes again. "_No, he wants to protect me." _

He turned back to Erwin, "Look," he said. "I don't know what you want with this Larry or Liechtenstein or anything, but right now you're problem is me so if you do so much as lay a finger on this kid, I will attack you."

Erwin paused in his steps and quirked an eyebrow. He looked between the Netherlands and I, musing over the words. "That's very surprising of you, Lars," he said. "You say that with such faith, even though the last time those words were uttered from your lips, you were not able to go through with that promise." The Netherlands, Lars, gripped his fists. "Remember Mathias? Remember how he so valiantly decided to lay his life down for you? Remembered how you cried and cried and begged for him not to sign, but he did so anyways?" He laughed hollow. "Only a vain man would pursue a lie even when he knows the truth."

Lars yelled, raising his arm for another punch. I swore. Even I knew that was what Erwin wanted. Those words were only trash disguised by eloquent speaking, made only to instigate him. I had no idea what Erwin could be planning, but I knew that it couldn't be good. In an instant, I was dropping my knives and reaching out towards his shirt. If only I could grab it and pull him back in time.

Time was not on my side.

Erwin got to him first, roughly taking Lar's shirt in his hand and banging him against the stone wall. He smirked when the blonde cried out and lowered his face from view. Sweat made Lars's hair flat, the strains dark as it stuck to his forehead. His eyes were shut and he was wincing with each breath. He was in pain- that much was certain. Erwin must have cracked a rib when he banged him on the wall.

I closed my eyes. Breathe, Larry. If you lose your cool like Lars, then you were going to end up like him. You have to be the strong one and not let him get the best of you. But even though I highly suspecting that Erwin _wanted_ me to try to fight him as well, I felt as though I couldn't stand back and let Erwin push him against the wall like trash and relish in Lars's pained breaths. Lars had stretched a hand back to me when Erwin was caving in on him, keeping my protected. He had the courage to help me, so I will have the foolishness to help him.

I crouched to the ground, snatching my knives back into my hands. Still low, I narrowed my eyes at my target: Erwin's neck. I knew that if I hit there, then he wouldn't be able to fight me back. But if the knife veered to either direction, I might hit Lars instead. I took a long, steady breath. Belarus said that if I didn't put all of myself into my throw, then I was bound to miss. Even if I couldn't stand the idea of murder, I had to stand up to his defense. I had to save Lars, no matter what. I cleared my head of all thoughts.

I had to make this move.

The knife was an extension of my arm.

I was going to make this move.

Lars choked.

I was going to hit his neck.

The knife flew from my hand.

Suddenly, Erwin twirled around. One hand remained on Lars's neck, holding him high against the wall as the other shot out towards the knife. He caught the blade between his fingers. My eyes went wide as a wave of panic came over me. Shit. I threw the other knife. It was a reckless shot and he only had to tilt his head to the side to avoid it. The noisy _clang! _it made when it hit the wall and fell harmlessly onto the ground terrified me.

A cold cloak enveloped itself around me as I fell back onto my hands, scrambling away from him. I thought my chest was going to burst with how fast my heart was beating. My back hit the wall. Logic told me that I should move right or left- any way to get away but my body refused to move. I couldn't rip my eyes away from Erwin. I couldn't bear to blink and discover Lars dead. I couldn't move.

"That was a foolish move, Mr. Sue," Erwin said nonchalantly, twirling the knife between his fingers. The sun glinted off of the silver blade, blinding me here and there. "I thought that you treasured life, after all, is that not why you are here? To save your dear Stella?"

I didn't answer him. My mouth refused to work.

I watched with dread as a frown printed itself onto his lips. "That does not matter," he said sullenly. He stopped twirling my knife, instead pointing the blade towards me. "You desired to throw a knife, is that right?" He asked. Fear rushed through my veins. My eyes shot to my other knife, the one abandoned by his feet. If only I could reach it. "Then, Mr. Sue, let me give you a demonstration."

Shit.

I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, praying to God that it wouldn't hurt. When that knife hit me, please let it be somewhere nonlethal. Better yet, please let it miss. Please let me live. Stella and Lars need me now, they . . .

"Got ya!" Someone grabbed my arm and, in an instant, I was back on my feet. Arms wrapped around me as I was whisked away. A hand came up behind my head, pressing my face into a firm chest. I opened my eyes and looked up.

I smiled largely. "Alfred!"

Alfred looked down at me, sending me a confident grin. It was so cheap and cheesy that it actually made me feel better. My moment was relief was short lived, however, as he turned his focus back on Erwin. I turned around to face him, allowing Alfred to hold me back by my shoulders.

The knife laid on the ground right where I used to be. Lars was clawing away at the slender, pale sticks around his neck, growling for Erwin to release him. Erwin, meanwhile, gave my mentor a small look of surprise before raising his chin with pride. "You are late," he said calmly.

Alfred chose to ignore him, instead pointing a sharp finger towards his enemy. "Monster," he spat loudly. "I wouldn't let you hurt Larry! Do what you like to me, but I will never-"

"Did you not receive the notice?" Erwin demanded suddenly. I made an audible sound of confusion, peering at him carefully. What in the world could Erwin possibly mean by that? Alfred didn't seem to know either. He just stared blankly at him, blinking from behind his wired glasses. Erwin placed a hand on his face and groaned. "You skimmed it again, didn't you?" Alfred nodded, causing him to groan again. "Honestly, you are so carelessly, Bud."

Bud?

He couldn't mean . . .

My whole body went cold. The source, it seemed, came from the frigid hands on my shoulders. I shook my head fiercely, as if trying to wipe the idea away. "No," I whispered.

No.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, _no- _That couldn't be right.

That would mean that Alfred . . .

Numbly, I turned to my friend, giving him a hopeful look. "Erwin's just playing with us, isn't he?'" I said, forcing a grin on my face. For once, Alfred didn't return it. He just looked down at me with cold, cold eyes. "Y-you're my friend, Alfred. Y-you wouldn't betray me, right?" He didn't answer. Something inside of me broke and I could feel my panic increase. "Alfred?"

His blue eyes were like the slits of a snake now, jeering down at me with hard pity. I shuddered, eyeing him uncertainly as he place a heavy hand on my head. He petted my hair softly, not breaking eye contact as he said, "Of course I'll never betray you, Larry."

I cracked a small, relieved smile. Thank goodness, I-

"But the thing is Larry, I can't betray you." His fingered tangled themselves in my hair. I yelped, bringing my arms up to stop him as he lifted me onto my toes. The pain drilled into my head, bringing tears to my eyes. His face swooped into close mine. I could feel his cold, slimy breath on my skin as he sneered, "To betray someone, you have to have been on their side at one point, but I was against you from the _start_."

He tossed me to the ground like a rag doll. I rolled over the cobbled stones, crying out with each hit. When I finally stopped on my side, I could barely move. My whole body was on lockdown. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. All I could do was curl into myself: a shaking mess. I knew that I couldn't just lay there and let him walk all over me. I had to get up, I had to fight him. Grunting, I tried to push myself off of the ground, but my arms felt broken and they shook under my weight. I collapsed back down again, just as Alfred crouched down right next to me.

"You know, Larry-" He tangled his fingers into my hair again. He lifted me back up, bringing my face right back towards his. A disgusting smirk laid there as he chuckled at my frailty. "-I would have expected a lot more from you."

I looked him in the eye. "What about your contract?" I demanded huskily. "And everything with England? Whatever happened to that?"

Alfred humored shook his head. "Poor Larry- you really are too trusting," he said. "I _lied _about all that. I said all of those things so that the boy who felt ignored by his own father would be able to relate."

Deep inside, I knew he was right. Somehow, I knew that all this time that story was the only real reason why I trusted him. I knew that all long I had been sticking myself into Alfred F. Jones shoes, replacing England with Dad. It drove me insane to even think about it. Still, I was determined to invoke something from the Alfred I once knew. "What about me?" I asked, wincing when he shook me by my hair. "We're friends. We swore to help each other until the end."

"Again, lies."

I must have looked so pitiful as I looked at my friend with wide eyes. I practically whimpered, "Alfred, please . . . " He struck me, bringing his fist sharply into my stomach. I cried out, lowering my head in defeat. I couldn't lie to myself any longer. I really did lose my only ally.

I vaguely heard Lars fighting against Erwin's grasp. "Stop hitting him!" He shouted, relentlessly struggling even when Erwin only rolled his eyes. "This is about me, not him!"

"I would have never taken you to be the vain one, Lars," Erwin said casually, plucking the cigarette from his lips. The brunette smiled darkly as he pressed the smoking end into the skin of Lars's neck. "Did you truly believe that you and Mathias were the only ones with contracts?" He asked, watching Lars grit his teeth in pain. "Didn't you know that Mr. Sue and Liechtenstein have their contracts as well?"

Alfred nodded, adding, "Contracts that we'll be calling him out on now." He roughly shook me again, enticing me to cry out. I bit my lip, determined not to make a sound. "So Larry, have you given Gilbert his vial yet?" He asked, knowing the answer quite well. I didn't answer him. He scowled, socking me in the jaw. Pain shot through my head and traveled down my spine. The sick, metallic taste of blood appeared on my tongue. "Well?"

I looked up at him, glaring. I curled my lip and spat a thick wad of blood and saliva at his face. It dripped slowly down his cheek, causing him to grunt in disgust. He threw me to the ground, never stalling as he rose to his feet and kicked me. In the stomach, my chest, my groin- anywhere and everywhere he could. I kept trying to curl into a ball and protect my softer parts, but he stomped his foot on my sides every time, always causing me to unwind.

The pain started to morph, each shot fading into the next. Eventually it just grew into one large tone, a long note on a broken piano. It was consistent, never faltering as it never ended. It just went on and on and on and on until I felt half insane and half crazy.

"Ah- shit!" The blows stopped and the pain echoed away. Weakly, I cracked open an eye and saw, to my amazement, Sokka. It was on Alfred's head, meowing like crazy as it dug its claws into his eyes. Alfred was stumbling away, swearing on the stop of his lungs as he tried to pull it away. Erwin's eyes went wide as he watched his partner helplessly. It was plain that he wanted to save him and, for a moment, he looked ready to release Lars and do just that.

But his attention was stolen.

Lars flashed his teeth, kicking his long leg into Erwin's stomach. Erwin gasped, immediately releasing his hold as he reached for his stomach. Lars reached to the ground, swiping one of my abandoned knives off of the ground. I saw where this was going and quickly looked for the other. It laid a few feet away, right by the wall. I rolled over to it, grasping it firmly in my hand. Just as I sat up, holding the knife in front of myself, the tables turned again.

Alfred ripped Sokka off of his head and threw it to the ground. Glasses skewed, his face was covered with hot red scratched and one of his eyelids was struggling to stay open. He grinned wildly as he brought his foot down onto my cat. A loud _crunch! _reached my ears as he stomped into Sokka. Acid rose from my stomach as I watched with wide eyes as Alfred stomped into it again, and again, and again, and again, each one provoking another ear killing _crunch!_

"Stop it!" I screamed, crawling over to Sokka. Alfred took a step back, letting me pick the animal off of the ground and cradle it in my arms. I could feel the warm blood seep through my sleeves. For the sake of my sanity, I ignored it. "Wake-up, Sokka," I whispered, bouncing it like a mother to her sleeping child. I didn't know when my tears started again, but they were falling unmercifully down my face, wetting Sokka's dirtied fur. "Please wake up."

Alfred fixed his glasses. "I never liked that cat," he said flatly. I heard him walking towards me, his feet patting the ground at an agonizingly slow rate. "Good riddance it's gone now, right?"

Lars appeared in front of me, holding his knife out to both Erwin and Alfred. "Don't you dare take another step closer, monsters," he sneered through his pants. I was amazed. He was working so hard to help me (for what reason, I had no idea) when all I could do was sit in shock and cry. I wanted to help Lars like he was helping me. Gulping, I looked down at my dead friend. "I'm sorry Sokka," I whispered, placing it on the ground beside me. "But . . ." I sighed. Ignoring all else around me, I leaned over and kissed the top of Sokka's head. "I love you."

My world went white.

I groaned, shutting my eyes as I placed an arm over then. I heard Lars shout in surprise as Alfred swore.

It was silent.

Then: "Don't hurt him!"

I opened my eyes, just to see splotches of purple and green in my vision. I cursed, trying to rub them away. Even with my wrecked vision, I could tell that someone new was standing in front of me. I tried to zone in on their form. Then, a familiar smell met my nose- something that smelled like the ocean, except more spicy. I knew that smell. "Sokka?" I whispered.

My vision began to clear, along with everyone else's.

"Aluino!" Erwin shouted, his feet scratching the ground as he dragged them into a defensive stance.

Lars stuttered over his words for a moment, before finally blurting, "The hell- what are you doing here, Spain?"

I shot my eyes up, my vision finally clearing enough for me to see. Standing above me, stepping in front of Lars, was a tall man. He was lean with tanned and sweaty skin. I couldn't see his face, but his brown hair was long and pulled into a low ponytail. He was also butt naked. My cheeks heated up when I realized that the crack in his ass was right in my face. I slapped a hand over my eyes, swearing to myself.

Spain-Aluino-Sokka-Whatever his name was didn't notice. He swept his hand across the air, declaring, "I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. I am the follower of the true creator and by his word I declare that you will not hurt them."

Alfred took a tense breath, running his hand through his hair. "What do you mean, little bro?" He asked, cracking a fake smile. "Hima-pops's the true creator. Don't tell me some asshole ticked ya into thinking otherwise."

Antonio shook his head. "Alfred, he is not the creator," he said solemnly. Alfred's face dropped ever so slightly. "I know this for a fact." Lars looked down at me with knitted brows. His eyes asked me if I knew what the hell was going on. I shook my head. This time, we were both lost.

The blonde frowned, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "My name's not Alfred," he growled darkly. He finally copied Erwin, drawing himself into a defensive position. "It's Bud, Aluino. Get it right."

"That's not the name the creator gave you," Antonio said calmly. "It's Alfred. And you, Erwin, your name is truly Roderich." He lowered his shoulders. I could hear the wistful frown in his face when he extended a hand, saying, "Please, guys. I know we weren't necessarily on the best of terms the last time we saw each other, but I know that Himaruya is not the person you think he is. Please join me and we can bring the positive world back to its former glory."

Alfred curled a lip at him, huffing as he turned away. I could see, however, Roderich's purple eyes soften. "I do not understand, Aluino," he said quietly. "I turned you into a cat and yet you insist and showing us mercy. Why is that?"

"Because you were supposed to kill me and you didn't," Antonio replied. "And you're my brothers. Why wouldn't I want to give you salvation?"

Before Roderich could reply, Alfred huffed, cracking his neck. "Don't waste your breath- we're not interested in your 'salvation'," he sneered. "What we're here for is the boy." Antonio shifted on his feet, knowing quite well that the boy he was thinking of was right behind him. Lars gave him side glances, begging to know what to do. He didn't return in, only set his gaze straight at Alfred.

The traitor waited a moment, smirking when no objections met him. He took pleasure in clearing his throat, making sure all was listening when he announced, "In accordance with the contract between Larry Ebenezer Sue and the associates of Himaruya Hidekaz, the price for the assurance of Hoshi Sayaka's life is to be paid by service, in this case, the giving of subject the Kingdom of Prussia, known as Gilbert, a vial containing an undisclosed liquid. The Kingdom of Prussia must drink this vial in order for Larry Ebenezer Sue to fulfill his service. There is no set deadline for said contract."

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Lars demanded abruptly. Antonio hushed him.

Alfred ignored the question, continuing his speech. "However, in accordance with the contract between Liechtenstein and the associates of Himaruya Hidekaz, the principality of Liechtenstein must surrender use of her body to the purposes of Himaruya Hidekaz and his associates until the service of Larry Ebenezer Sue is fulfilled. The contract will become void at the discretion of Himaruya Hidekaz and his associates." Alfred smiled motioning Roderich to follow as he started to walk away. "That is all."

I looked between them, feeling myself grow tired all of the sudden. Exhaustion weighed on my shoulders, causing me to lean back into the wall. I weakly lifted my head, trying to get one last look at them. "W-what is that supposed to mean?" I muttered tacitly.

They either didn't hear me or didn't answer.

Roderich and Alfred walked out of the alley way, disappearing when they stepped into the street, engulfed by the crowd. Lars waited until they were gone for good to explode. "Spain! What the hell is going on?" He demanded immediately. "What happened to you? Why are you their brother? Why were you a cat- oh shit you're naked! Here-" Lars pulled his dirtied, white shirt over his head and shoved it to Antonio. "Cover up and explain yourself. Now."

Antonio muttered a thanks, pulling the shirt on. Lars was about a foot taller than him and since the shirt was already long to begin with, it covered his private parts perfectly. Antonio ruffled his hair, taking a tense breath. "We really don't have time to go over everything in detail, but I can tell you a few essentials: Himaruya is the false creator of this world. Me, Alfred, and Roderich were his sons, in a sense, and we lived to serve him. I, however, grew fed up with all of this contract makings when Mathias was signed on. You remember that, right? You were there."

The edges of my vision were starting to go black. It felt as though something was trying to pull me out of my body, pull me into the darkness. "I remember it a little bit," I heard Lars mutter. "You were the quiet one."

"Yup, Aluino. Anyways, Himaruya wanted them to kill me for betrayal, but Roderich took pity and turned me into a cat instead."

"So how did you-" He gestured wildly. "Un-cat?"

Antonio threw his head back and laughed. "I met the true creator, obviously. He told me that he couldn't undo the spell, but he could modify it. Said that the only way I could return to human is if I get a kiss from my true love."

The blond looked down at me, bewildered. He didn't seem to notice my fading life when he pointed a finger, saying, "You mean Larry?"

Antonio nodded happily. "Yup!"

"Spain-"

"Call me Antonio," he interjected happily. If I was fully conscious, I would have questioned how he managed to be so serious with Erwin and Alfred, yet be so obviously cheerful now. The mirth I heard in his voice seemed in human, but more genuine than Alfred's ever was.

Lars groaned. "Fine, call me Lars," he spat angrily. "But you do realize Larry's still a kid, right?"

My vision was all about gone now. I could barely hear them speak. Their footsteps created vibrations in the ground, ones that rocked me to sleep. I wanted to reach out and beg them to help me, but my throat was constricted. I couldn't even move my hand to wipe the irritating blood that dripped down my face.

Antonio quickly changed the subject. "Let me see your watch," he ordered. There was a shuffling and I could hear the golden trinket click open. He mused for a moment, humming to himself. "I'll say you got less than forty-eight hours before your contract is up."

"Shit." Lars muttered to himself for a long moment, no doubt rubbing his temples helplessly. "We have to get going then. Where's Lar- shit!" The footsteps echoed again as he ran towards me. I vaguely felt his hand on my shoulder as he placed the back of his hand on my cheeks and forehead. "Shit, shit, shit, shit- wake-up, Larry. Can you hear me?"

Yes, I can. My voice just wouldn't work.

Antonio crouched beside him. "Let me try," he said. I felt his warm hand appeared on my cheek, his thumb wiping away the blood, mud, and sweat. The claws that dragged me into the darkness disappeared and I could suddenly open my eyes again. My throat, however, was still useless and I couldn't move my limbs. I saw Antonio's tanned face relax and his bright green eyes lit up. "Oh thank God, we didn't lose you yet, though-" His soothing, optimistic smile turned into a tight frown. "-I can't sense Liechtenstein's presence inside of you anymore. And I think there's something else trying to drag you away."

He lowered his hand.

The black immediately returned to my vision. I screamed inside of my head to stay, sticking my ground and fighting it off. I couldn't slip out of this body! Not yet! I had to save Stella, I had too-

My vision turned completely black for a moment. My sense of touch disappeared. I pushed the numb darkness away, struggling to find the light. I heard a scream. A white dot appeared at last and it grew rapidly bigger. My sight returned. I saw that Antonio had his hand back on my cheek, holding me up in the middle of the alley. He was panting, grimacing as he looked at me evenly. Odd—why wasn't I by the wall? "Just as I thought," he muttered, looking downward.

I follow his gaze down, seeing for the first time that I had one of my knives in my hand. Luckily, it was not bloodied, but Lars's horrified look told me enough.

I had tried to kill them.

* * *

**MW: ***Eagerly waits for the yelling reviews*

**Notes:**

"All this time, you've been Erwin. I . . ." *warning: spoiler for Fangirl* Okay, so remember how I said that if you used your brains, you could figure this one out easily? Well everyone presumed that I meant to look for the one character that's in every chapter for no reason. The secret really was in why Himaruya is Estonia. Remember how Estonia was somewhat based on him and that's why they were the same person? If you look at the trivia section of Austria's Hetalia wiki page, you would learn that his bad sense of direction was based on an Austrian that Himaruya met in real life. Add the fact that I gave you his description _in the very first chapter, _I would have thought that at least someone would have guessed this one. There's a similar deal going on with America and Spain, making them who they are. And those names I gave them? Well they all mean 'friend' in their respective languages (you know, kind of like how they all have traits based upon Himaruya's _friends?) _You guys totally could have guessed this. And before you all start complaining about how I never had him in the background before, I would like to point out that for every fight scene where the Red Coats attacked, I always mentioned a man with dark hair fighting. I wonder who that is . . .

**Next Chapter: **What's wrong with Larry? Are Antonio and Lars going to be able to figure it out in time for the next major plot point?

**Please review because this has been the chapter I've been dying to write and I want to know what you all think of it!**


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